The Darkness Within the Sea
by GallifreyanDemigoddess
Summary: Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little did she know—Mystic Falls was a monster-infected town. Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Vampire Diaries._

 _English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any errors I might have._

 ** _Summary:_** _Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two wars is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little does she know—Mystic Falls is a monster infected town. Will the saviour of Olympus be saved before its too late, or will the darkness within her consume all that was left of her? Will she fall in love again?_

 **...**

 **Chapter 1**

"Did you made a decision?"

Persephone sighed. "No, not really."

The daughter of Poseidon was siting cross legged on her bed, staring distractedly at her hands. The night before, horrible nightmares from the war woke her up in the middle of the night, and she couldn't get sleep after that.

"Percy," Nico chastised. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry, Nico," the girl blinked, looking up at the Hades kid. "I couldn't sleep last night, I'm not thinking straight now. Sorry."

"You've never been able to think straight," Nico teased. "But it's okay. I asked you what you were planning on doing. Are you going to stay here or...?"

Percy sighed. "I still don't know. I mean, I know I owe it to my mom, I know I should move with her again, but..." the girl pursed her lips. "I don't want her to see me like this."

Nico gave her a small look.

He could understand why the girl didn't wanted her mother to see her in that state, she looked broken and sad. Tartarus did that to people, and Nico was proud of how she was handling things. He himself was still hurt over Tartarus and everything that happened, but he had been alone. Percy had Annabeth in Tartarus, she has friends here trying to help her, she had a family to help her overcome this...

"I know what you're thinking right now," Percy scoffed at Nico. "You think I have it easy just because many people are trying to help me. I'm flattered by their attempts, but they're only making this worst than it already is."

"You're wrong," Nico said gently. "I was just thinking that you're lucky. You have lots of people trying to help you, trying to make you feel better again. You shouldn't shut them off, they're just trying to help."

"That's a bit hypocritical of you, don't you think? All you ever did was shut people off—"

"Yes, but now I'm not." Nico defended himself.

"Now you're not," Percy nodded, to then smirk at him in a teasing way. "Now you have Will—ow! Why would you hit me?"

Nico glared at her, but Percy caught the small blush on his pale cheeks. Will Solace had been helping Nico a lot, and the Poseidon's girl was more than sure the son of Apollo had more than friendly feelings for Nico, and those feelings seemed to be reciprocated. But Nico was a hard kid, he wasnt going to admit his feelings so easily, and certainly not to her.

"Let's leave Will out of this, shall we?" Nico crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you really shutting people off? That's not like you, not at all."

"Glad to know you know me so well," Percy said dryly, before a new pang of guilt made her grimace. Of course Nico knew her well, he had a crush on her for years, and she never noticed. She felt so guilty, if only she had noticed before...he wouldn't have been so hurt in the process of hiding his feelings for her.

"C'mon, Percy." Nico said gently. His tone surprised Percy, and she acknowledge how much he changed since he decided to stay in camp. He wasn't as scrawny or pale as before, he eat well and practiced and was even dressed with Camp Half-Blood orange t-shirt. "You can trust me. If there's someone who knows what you're going through right now, that's me."

"And Annabeth," Percy whispered.

"And Annabeth," Nico agreed. "But she's not here."

Annabeth left Camp a week before that; she was with her family now, going to a public school close to the Camp. She had been reluctant at first, but in the end she decided they needed to continue their life as it had been before the whole Gaea thing.

Percy, on the other hand, hadn't still decided if she wanted to stay at Camp or go home to her mother and to her senior year in school. It was supposed to be an easy decision, but it wasn't. Not really.

"I'm scared," Percy admitted after a long pause. There was no point in hiding it anymore, not with Nico. He was her friend, she could trust him with this. "I'm scared that if I don't get a hold of myself I could turn dark again..."

The memory of how she tortured Misery back in Tartarus haunted her. She was horrified at her actions, but what scared her more was the fact that she enjoyed it. She enjoyed seeing the pain and misery in Misery's eyes. She enjoyed controlling the poison and her internal water to choke her...and that scared her.

She was scared of turning dark again. She was scared of becoming what she most dreaded—a monster.

"You won't turn dark again," Nico tried to assure her, but his voice failed him. "Look, Percy, Tartarus does that to people. Tartarus brings the worst out of people. You're out of that place now, you're safe now. You won't turn dark again."

"But you don't understand," Percy protested. "I liked it. Okay? I liked torturing Misery. I liked being dark, having that kind of power..." she shook her head, trying to drown the uneasiness she was feeling. "I don't want to turn evil. It would only make things worst than they already are."

"Look, I've seen people turn dark, and sometimes...it's inevitable. But the difference between you and them is that you are different. You're braver, you're heroic..."

"So you're saying that if I indeed turn dark...?" Percy trailed off, wanting Nico to elaborate more.

"What I'm trying to say is that...if you turn dark, there are ways in which you can control that power. You can control your power and you won't hurt anyone. You may be able to...use that dark energy without it being a bad thing."

There was a small pause between both cousins.

"I don't understand," Percy admitted. "For that I would need practice. I would need to train and control my urges and my own power."

"Nobody said it would be easy," Nico said slowly. "It's a long path, but it's possible."

"I wouldn't be able to go home with my mother," Percy whispered. "I would have to stay here."

"Not necessarily. Look, you're not dark yet," Nico said. "You're jumping the bridge without getting there. You can go home with your mother, and if anything happens, you come back here, tell your problem to Chiron, and he'll help you. We will help you."

Percy sighed again, one hand going to her hair in frustration.

"What am I to do if I wake up in the middle of the night screaming because of my nightmares? How am I supposed to look at my mother in the face after that? I don't want her to worry about me. Not again, not after all I made her go through."

"You didn't made her go through anything, Percy. It wasn't your fault, if it was someone's fault it was Hera'. She kidnapped you, she is the one to blame for all the hurt your mother felt. Hera and Gaea."

Percy winced, thinking of Gaea and Hera. Out of both of them, she didn't knew who she hated more.

Nico waited for her to say something else, but when nothing came out of her mouth, he addressed her.

"Do you want to know my opinion on the matter?"

Percy nodded.

"Go home with Sally. You need distraction, its going to be better if you distance yourself from Camp and us demigods for a while. This place—" he gestured around. "Two wars happened here, it brings too many painful memories to you. You'll be better being away from this for a while."

"Why are you so smart?" Percy scoffed, looking down. Nico smiled softly, his face muscles hurting—he wasn't used to smile. "You're just a kid, you're not supposed to be so smart."

"Not every teenager is dumb like you," Nico teased, but he didn't meant his words. He knew Percy was smart, really smart, she just didn't showed it much.

"Touché," Percy rolled her eyes.

She uncrossed her legs, and reached for a rusty looking letter under one of her pillows. She looked back at Nico, who gave her a curious look. "Mom wrote me a letter some weeks ago. Paul got offered a job in a little town in Virginia. They haven't decided it yet, they're waiting for my opinion; but if he accepts the job then we'll have to move."

"You'll move to Virginia?" Nico rose his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah," Percy shrugged. "I mean, I don't want to leave New York, but I'm not going to get in the way of their plans. Besides, I think it'll be a good change. I would be far from here, but not far enough to be in danger. Besides, San Francisco is only a couple of days away from Virginia, so I'll be close to Annabeth."

"And to Camp Jupiter," Nico muttered.

A real smile appeared on Percy's face. "And to Camp Jupiter."

"I think moving with your parents is a good option." Nico paused. "Besides all the things we already discussed of this, you'll also be able to finish your senior year in high school."

Percy groaned at that.

"Great, school."

"I thought you were looking forwards to it...?"

"I'm looking forwards to going to college with Annabeth," Percy shook her head. "High School sucks. Which reminds me, when are you going to school? Or are you going to some sort of underworld school for zombie suckers?"

Rolling his dark eyes at her attempt of a joke, Nico shook his head.

"I don't know. I'm still getting used to Camp, I don't think I'm ready for school just yet."

Percy nodded. "I get it. School isn't easy, besides...I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to leave Will all alone now—"

"If you bring Will into this conversation one more time I swear to the gods I—"

Percy rose his hands in a surrender mode, seeing the dangerous glint on Nico's eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it." she paused, making Nico think she meant her words; then, she smirked before continuing, "You're the jealous boyfriend."

Poseidon's daughter yelped when the son of Hades jumped on her. She kicked him off, and in seconds both cousins were fighting on the bed. Nico pulled at her hair as he slapped her, not actually hurting her but more like a game. Percy chuckled and started to mock bitting him, pulling at his hair and kicking him on the stomach.

In the end, Nico kicked Percy off the bed. She fell back into the cold wooden floor, her butt burning as she landed on it, both hands going to her sides on the floor to stop herself from moving even more.

"Hey!" Percy groaned, while Nico sniggered.

He smiled at her innocently from the edge of the bed. "What?"

"You're, like, eighty-something, you're not supposed to be so strong." Percy complained.

"Technically I'm eighty-something, but physically I'm still 14." Nico smirked, sticking a hand out for Percy to take.

The girl took it, but instead of using it as an anchor to raise from the floor, she tugged hard, making Nico fall off the bed too. He groaned, but said nothing more.

For a couple of minutes, they both stayed like that, on the floor without talking, just watching the ceiling; where Tyson had drawn some of his missions with Percy and other cute things like Poseidon's Palace in the ocean.

"I miss Tyson," Percy admitted at last.

Nico said nothing to that. Instead, he adressed the more important topic. "So, what are you going to do?"

Percy didn't answered straight away, instead, she focused her sea-green eyes on the dark figure at her left side.

"Have you ever been to Virginia?"

...

Camp Half-Blood was silent that afternoon. Campers all around were packing their belongings and leaving camp. Just a little bunch of kids were staying, and those who were, were preparing their cabins for the regular end-of-the-week inspection.

Percy, however, was sitting just outside of Half-Blood Hill, where Thalia's pine tree used to be. A blue backpack hanging over her shoulder; her curly black hair tugged under the dark grey hoodie she was wearing. Her sea-green eyes shined with boredom, and her right foot tapped the grass as if dancing to an imaginary song.

Her ADHD was killing her. She hated waiting, and she had been waiting for her mother and step-father to pick her up for longer than an hour now. She had started excited for the thought of seeing her mother again, but now she just wanted to rest.

When Paul's car stopped right in front of Peleus, the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece and guarded Camp, Percy sprang to her feet and quickly made her way towards the car. She entered it before any of them could get out of it, and grinned at both of them. Her mother quickly enveloped her in a half hug, and Percy smiled before hugging her back, and then leaning over and kissing Paul's cheek as a greeting.

"Ready?" Sally smiled excitedly.

She looked so happy that Percy didn't had the heart to deny anything, so she simply nodded, and Paul started the car again.

Before leaving Camp completely, Percy looked back. At the top of Camp Half-Blood Hill, Chiron stood in full centaur height; Nico Di Angelo and Will Solace close behind him. The three of them waved at Percy, and she swallowed before waving back.

It was the right decision, she told herself. She needed to get away from Camp, from all the memories of both wars.

But...something in her twisted at the thought of leaving New York, and she couldn't help but thought if it was a mere insecurity on her part, or if it was her demigoddess' gut telling her not to leave New York.

Whatever it was, she swallowed it down and smiled before getting into a conversation with both her parents as if nothing was wrong.

"When are we moving?" Percy dared to ask after a slight pause.

Sally and Paul shared a look before answering her.

"We already send half our things to Virginia. We're going now to our apartment to take the rest of our things and to let you say goodbye."

In another moment Percy would've scoffed at the thought of saying goodbye to a place, but it was her apartment they were talking about. She loved that place, they've lived there for years, it was special—A goodbye sounded good.

"Thank you," she said softly.

For a couple of minutes, only the songs in the radio were heard. Percy started to relax against the seat, it felt really good to be back with them again. Only then she realized how much she'd missed them.

"Was Annabeth with you, dear?" Sally inquired after some time. "I would've liked to see her."

"Nope, she left a couple of days ago. A cousin of hers disappeared or something, she's in San Francisco with her father searching for him. Last I've heard she wasn't having any luck finding him, so she started going to school."

"Oh." Sally seemed overwhelmed for a second. Percy's disappearance still fresh on her mind. Annabeth' cousin had nothing to do with Percy, but it was another kid that disappeared. It still reminded her of Percy's disappearance. "I hope they find him."

"Me too," Percy said, trying not to drown in her guilt after hearing the distress on her mother's voice. It seemed like her disappearance still haunted Sally, and Percy hated it. "His name is Magnus, I think. Magnus Chase."

"Well, Viriginia is a bit far from San Fransisco,," Paul offered with a nice smile. "but if you want to see Annabeth some time you're free to use my car. Maybe you can help her search for him."

A real smile appeared on Percy's face at that. She missed Annabeth, and the idea of seeing her again made her happy, even if it was to find Magnus. That and the fact that Paul trusted her enough to offer her to use his car for a trip that would last a couple of days.

"Thank you, Paul. I'll hold on to that promise."

The conversations died when Paul made a turn, and Percy caught a glimpse of the building where her apartment was. The memories of all the good times she spent there with her family came crashing, and she swallowed hard.

It certainly was going to be harder to say goodbye to her home.

...

The apartment looked empty without the furniture and without Sally's touch. Percy tried not to think of the fact that it was going to be the last time she was to step into that apartment. Instead, she concentrated on all the good memories inside.

As she crossed towards her room, she stopped. There, on that corridor, Poseidon had given her his first official gift to her when she turned fifteen. She could still remember his proud smile and encouraging words...

It had been a while since the last time she saw her father—it had been in Olympus, a couple of days after defeating Gaea the gods made a party and thanked the demigods. She had danced all evening with Hermes, but she had talked with Poseidon before leaving.

Percy caressed the walls as she walked, and upon reaching her room, she stepped inside. It looked the same as she had left it, but without her stuff. Only a couple of her things remained there, and she realised her mother left them there for her to carry.

She smiled softly, and stepped into the room.

"Hurry up, dear," Sally called from the hall. "We're supposed to evacuate the apartment before eight."

Percy felt a pang on her heart, and she bit her lips. She quickly packed the rest of her things, and she moved to leave. However, before she could step out of the room, something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes.

She turned. Out of her window, close by the fire escape, she saw Calypso's plant. The Moonlace had grown very well, and Percy had to smile softly, thinking about her old friend. Her smile died when she remembered Leo had fallen in love with Calypso before dying. The poor girl was still in Ogygia, without knowing Leo was dead—and she'll probably never know.

Shaking her head, Percy forced herself to stop thinking about Leo. Her friend was dead—and there was no coming back from that.

She crossed the room, opened her window and took the Moonlace with her. She couldn't leave it there—it had been a gift. It was the only thing Percy had to remember her time in Ogygia with Calypso.

"Percy—" Paul stopped when he saw the girl was ready to leave. "You're ready, good. Do you need any help with your things?" he chuckled when he saw Percy trying to carry a luggage along with her backpack and a plant.

"Nope, I'm good. I've handled worst."

Paul wanted to help her, but the girl looked so convinced that she could carry all that, that he ended up nodding and going to help Sally with her last luggages.

Percy huffed before taking a better hold of her things. For the gods sake, she supported the weight of the world once, carrying her things out of the apartment wasn't supposed to be this hard.

In the end, the girl managed to do it, and once her things were safely tugged on Paul's car, she turned around. With one last look at the place she used to call home for years, she decided she was ready to go. She would miss New York, and she would miss her apartment and Camp Half-Blood, but it all was for the best.

Besides, maybe Virginia wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe things would be easier there...

"Ready, girls?" Paul grinned at both Jackson's.

Sally smiled widely, seeming excited for their new destination. Percy smiled just for the sake of her mother, and nodded. "Let's go before I get old here."

Sally and Paul chuckled at Percy's antics, but obliged.

As the three of them entered the car and started to drive away, Percy felt another pang on uncertainty. She pursed her lips—the first time she supposed it was nervousness, but this was the second time she got a bad feeling after thinking about moving to Virginia.

But...Virginia wasn't that bad. It was not like it was Alaska or something like that, a land forbidden to the gods, it was actually a normal place.

"Where in Virginia are we going?" Percy asked curiously. "Is it close to Virginia Beach?"

Sally chuckled again. "It's not Virginia Beach, but there are some beaches around town. Mystic Falls is our destination, it's a little town, I'm sure the change will do us some good. I already enlisted you in the high school Paul will be teaching at...that if you are sure you want to finish high school here and not in New Rome."

At first Sally had been reluctant of Camp Jupiter after seeing the SPQR tattoo on Percy's arm, but when Percy told her about the safeness of the place, and that Reyna assured her she could go to college there with Annabeth, Sally started to like the prospect of Camp Jupiter.

That amused Percy. But who could be against free college? Percy really liked the idea of getting a degree in New Rome without any monsters or prophecies or anything. It was an alluring thought—she couldn't remember the last time she didn't had to worry for neither of those things.

It seemed like it was so long ago.

 _Years_ , she reminded herself. It had been years.

She couldn't wait to go to New Rome and start her peaceful life already.

"No, mom. I'll finish High School in Virginia. New Rome is for College." she said. Pursing her lips, Percy though of the usual stuff one had to do and the papers one had to fill to enter a new school. "Are they aware of my condition?"

"I thought no one was supposed to know?" Paul looked flustered for a second, wondering if he was supposed to do something about it. "It's a big secret, I don't think they—"

Percy sniggered while Sally chuckled. Paul's ears reddened when he slowly realized what the girl meant.

"Not that condition, Paul. I was asking if the principal of Mystic Falls High School knows I'm dyslexic and have ADHD. That and the fact that I have a serious history of blowing up schools."

"I don't think any school would accept you if you admitted to having blow other schools in the past," Sally muttered, but worry laced into her tone. "Of your dyslexia and ADHD, they're aware, and they said they'll go easy on you."

Percy frowned at that—she hated to be treated like a child or an invalid just because of her condition.

"That's not necessary," she said, thought she knew that was a lie. She could do good in school, but sometimes her dyslexia got the best of her and made everything else harder. Like reading and writing, plus her ADHD made it harder to concentrate on something for a large amount of time. "I can manage on my own."

"We know." Paul assured her. "But they don't."

Percy pursed her lips again, but decided to drop the issue. Then, Sally turned to look at her daughter, a wide smile on her lips, her blue eyes full of glee. "I nearly forgot to tell you, we won't be living in an apartment anymore," Sally paused momentarily, and Percy looked surprised. "We'll have our own house now!"

At the news, Percy's jaw dropped in shock. Before, Sally never had enough money for a house, besides, in New York an apartment was big enough for the three of them. But now...now they had a new house?

They were going to live in a house! That was a big change! And Percy found herself feeling excited for the prospect of having a house.

"Wow, mom" Percy couldn't keep the smile off her face. "That's amazing!"

Sally brightened again.

"I'm telling you, dear, this year is going to be great. Us, together, moving from New York...it's really going to help us overcome everything." only then Percy felt guilty again, she nearly forgot she wasn't the only one affected by the war. Sally was affected too, even when she had no part in the war, it affected her because Percy had been directly involved. "It's gonna be a good year, I can feel it."

Percy wanted to agree, but a chill went down her spine at the thought of Mystic Falls, and she swallowed hard. She was starting to like the idea of moving to a new house in a new town with her parents, but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe Mystic Falls wasn't the best place for them—which was weird because she never knew of the place before, she shouldn't feel like that...

But yet...she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Percy faked a smile. "Sure, mom. It'll be great."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Vampire Diaries._

 _English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any errors I might have._

 ** _Summary:_** _Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two wars is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little does she know—Mystic Falls is a monster infected town. Will the saviour of Olympus be saved before its too late, or will the darkness within her consume all that was left of her? Will she fall in love again?_

 ** _Chapter 2_**

Mystic Falls seemed like a normal town, but it wasn't.

Percy started to realize that slowly.

After a long torturous drive of nearly 10 hours—it was supposed to be a long trip, but not that long; Paul got lost once or twice, and they also stopped for food and to go to the bathroom along the way—they reached Mystic Falls, Virginia.

It was a normal city, but oh so different from New York. While New York was all buildings and noise and people swarming around, Mystic Falls looked more rusty than Percy would've thought. Rusty, full of wilderness, and small.

They drove around town for a bit before stopping in front of a big house painted white with pecks of brown. A vast garden could be seen, and Percy was almost sure that behind the house was a forest. It seems to expand through a great deal, and the demigoddess thought that it could be useful to train without anyone seeing her or without being interrupted.

Percy smiled softly.

Sally sighed, and Paul started to text, inmediately wanting to make sure they reached their destination.

The house in front of them was completely and absolutely breathtaking. At least for Percy it was. She was aware that it paled in comparison of other houses she saw around, but it was hers. It was something very different from what she once had, an apartment. This, this was a house. A big, pretty house with a vast garden and at least two stories.

"It's like something out of a movie," Percy muttered, still looking around. Everything was so different from New York but at the same time not at all foreign. A big home—if this was indeed their new house, Percy really liked it. It reminded her of what she wanted to have when she was little, of what she hoped to have when she formed her own family.

Not that she was thinking of forming a family anytime soon. She was only seventeen and had no boyfriend since her romance with the Greek God Apollo—which was a long story she did not wanted to remember—But the thought of a family was present on her mind, like it was expected on anyone. Sometimes she wondered if she was to find someone in New Rome and settle there with them, or maybe a nice mortal...

But that wasn't important. Not really, it was just a silly thought on her teenage mind.

What mattered now was a small opportunity of starting over with her mother, before going away for college.

"Do you like it?" Paul asked distractedly but with hope, phone still in hand.

"It looks nice." Percy admitted, pushing her thoughts aside with a shake of her head. "Is this our house?"

"Yes," Paul settled, locking his phone and putting it on his pockets. He shared an excited look with Sally before both of them excited the car, both of them unable to contain their excitement. "Come on."

Percy chuckled fondly at them, but followed almost immediately. The dark-haired girl threw her backpack over her shoulder and stepped out of the car, holding again the plant Calypso had given her.

The second she stepped out, she froze, one hand already moving towards her jean pocket, where Riptide, her sword, was in the disguise of a pen. It was an unconscious movement, almost like something she was used to do, not something that was needed in the moment.

For a dreading moment, Percy was breathless.

The feeling all around her was horrible, almost like Tartarus. The whole place seemed to be swimming around with monster powder. Her neck prickled, her heart raced with adrenaline, her senses where overthrow.

The whole air felt monster infected. She couldn't literally feel them, but the way her body reacted to the place told her something: there must be monsters close, because her whole body tensed and her senses jumped; she felt ready for a fight, and that only happened when monsters were about to attack.

The demigoddess looked around, expectantly.

...but nothing came.

Nothing came, not even from the forest she saw behind the gates that separated the garden and the forest.

A frown made it's way towards Percy's face, and she felt herself stiffen once more. The feeling was still present, but as she looked around, she only could see vast trees and beautiful houses in the distance. No sings of any creepy monster disguising himself as a man, no signs of horrible titans nor enourmous giants ready to kill her.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Percy gritted her teeth, and looked away from the house. Anger radiated of her, but her anger wasn't directed at anyone else but herself. It wasn't the first time she felt as if she was surrounded by monster. It had happened a couple of times before that, and the conclusion she had made angered her: she was paranoid.

After Tartarus, everywhere she went—even Camp—felt monster infected.

Nico had said it was Post-Tartarus syndrome—a term Percy was sure he invented. Supposedly, it happened to everyone after experiencing Tartarus. It was supposed to go away after weeks of being outside of Tartarus. But Percy had been out for a month now, and she still suffered from paranoia caused by her time in Tartarus.

Sometimes she feared it might not go away ever.

But still, even when she convinced herself she was just being paranoid, the feeling continued. The air still felt heavy with monster powder, and the air hung with the heavy presence of the supernatural; heavy and decaying like ghosts in an old town.

"Percy? Is everything okay?"

The demigoddess frowned again, turning back to where her mother was. Standing in the porch of the house the beautiful older woman looked at her daughter, a wide smile on her face. Percy felt herself relax, telling herself over and over again that she was just being paranoid.

"Everything's okay," Percy said, walking towards her mother. With every step she took, her heart raced more wildly, the adrenaline on her body still kicking, but she tried to push it down. "More than okay, actually. This place is amazing, I can't wait to see my room."

"I know, right?" Sally grinned widely. "The best thing is that all our furniture is already here. Your room is all settled in, you just have to put your personal touch on it and it'll be finished. This house has only two bedrooms and we'll have to share the bathroom—"

Percy shrugged at that, she was used to share bathrooms. She shared one in their old apartment, in the Argo II, and sometimes in Camp Half-Blood if Tyson was visiting. It wasn't that bad.

"—there's also a storage room for old things and things we'll never use, and a music room, even thought none of us plays music. And there's a big study where Paul transferred all our books and where I could try and finish my book...—" Sally trailed off, breathing deeply, her cheeks reddening as she smiled excitedly.

Percy giggled. "Breathe, mom."

Sally sighed deeply, smile still on her face. "I'm so happy."

"I know, and I'm glad. We deserve a break, and this place—" Percy motioned around, ignoring the ever-present feeling of being surrounded by monsters. "This place looks like a nice start."

Paul agreed, appearing at the edge of the staircase. "Old town, small population, new people, no monsters, no gods, no titans...What could go wrong?"

Percy smiled despite the fact that every time someone said something like that, everything went wrong. But she was going to think positive, like Will Solace advised her to.

 _Think positive and positive thing will happen._

"Well," Paul broke their small moment by clapping. "Let's get down to business. We start at Mystic Falls High School this Monday, and there's still lots of things to do here. Percy, dear, why don't you go upstairs, explore the house and see if you like your room while Sally and I go check the garden."

Knowing that the couple wanted some alone time, Percy smiled at them and nodded. The smile dropped from her face the second her back was turned. She slowly made her way upstairs, her heart still racing wildly.

She passed some rooms, ignoring completely the music room, having too many memories from the times Apollo used to dedicate songs to her; ignored the study, and crossed what she assumed was Sally and Paul's room. At the end of the hall, the last room awaited Percy.

She quickly made her way towards it and stepped inside. It was plain and empty. Her old bed from the apartment was there, along with her desk and some other furniture she used to have, but the rest of the room was empty. The walls were a decaying grey, and it smelled like dirt.

She frowned.

It was nothing like she imagined her room to be. It was...sad.

Leaving her backpack and her plant on her empty desk, she crossed the room. The only light in the room seemed to be the rays of sun that shined through the only window in the room, but still, the girl managed to find the door that seemed to be the closet, and once she opened it, she groaned, closing it immediately again.

It was full of spider webs. While she wasn't scared of those creatures, she started to hate them after the Arachne incident. It had been, after all, her fault that both Annabeth and Percy fell into Tartarus.

"Seriously, what the hell? When was the last time someone paid attention to this room?"

She pursed her lips, hands going to her hips as she thought of what to do in such a room like her new one.

"Oh, my God." Her parents were back.

Percy sighed.

"This is...not what I expected," Sally whispered, sharing a distressed look with Paul.

"It's okay, I guess," Percy lied, hearing the distress on her mother's voice. "Nothing a good cleaning and new paint for the walls can't do. I was thinking of painting it a nice blue, and putting some art in the walls, and maybe some flowers in the desk..."

Sally nodded. "And maybe we can find a small fountain that could fit here, like the one you had in your cabin in Camp Half-Blood. That way you'd always have ways to talk to your friends via Iris Message."

"That's a good idea," Percy brightened happily. "That fountain was a gift from my father, but I guess we can buy one just like that one."

"And better," Paul promised, trying not to feel to awkward at the mention of Poseidon. "I saw a store a couple of streets from here, maybe we can go later."

Their trip had been a long one, and they were all tired. After settling when they would go to the store, Sally and Paul left Percy's room, and the demigoddess sighed almost exasperatedly, and let herself fall back into the mattress.

Her room wasn't what she expected, but that was just a little bump in the road. The house was beautiful, and the town looked nice enough. What really bothered her now was the paranoia she still felt. Because, yes, she still felt like monsters were around.

And that worried her.

Still, she closed her eyes, only for a moment, and ignored the bad smell in the room. She imagined she was back in her father's kingdom, hearing the nereids sing and seeing Poseidon laugh alongside Triton, her half brother. She thought back to the feeling of waves rolling her, and that was enough to send her to a peaceful sleep.

 **...**

Her peace lasted only a couple of minutes. What once started as a peaceful dream of the beach and her father, quickly transformed into something more.

 _Percy was in an unknown place. Startled, she looked around, eyes fixing on the entrance of the cave-like place she found herself at. "Dad?" she called, looking around, and wincing when she saw she was stepping on what looked to be like rotten corpses._

 _A scream escaped her throat, and she stumbled back, trying to stop stepping on corpses, but the whole floor was filled with them. She huffed a frustrated and frightened cry, moving wildly and taking Riptide out, getting ready for whatever was in that cave with her._

 _Her eyes found the wall behind an old column that looked weirdly out of place in that cave, and froze when her eyes met the sleeping form of Gaea._

 _Percy's breath caught in her throat, and she quickly raised her sword, ready to attack if Gaea moved, but it did not. After a moment, she spoke._

 _Her voce husky and harsh, words clear as a day even thought her eyes were closed, and it looked like she was sleeping, "...—I will have my revenge. I will wake up again, and nothing will stop me, not even your little's friends charmspeak...—"_

 _Percy tried to yell, but her lungs were filled with dirt and earth, and she started to choke, Gaea's words still loud on her ears. "And you, Persephone Jackson, will help me rise again, and then I will have my revenge, and I assure you, my child, that the first to ever die will be the one you hold most dear to your heart..."_

 _Annabeth._

 _Percy moved wildly, trying to do anything and stop Gaea, but_ _she couldn't move. Her body wasn't responding to her. She looked down at herself, only to notice her body was melting in the dirt of the cave, and she was slowly becoming dirt herself. A scream caught in her throat, and she felt herself choking again._

 _"—...And then it will be your satyr friend, and the little ex-oracle."_

 _Grover and Rachel._

 _Percy tried to yell again, but her throat burned painfully, and she was almost running off from the little bath she had left inside of her._

 _"The charm-speaker will be next, and her death will be slow and painful, to punish her from sending me to sleep, and her boyfriend the son of Zeus will be next, and he will do watching her die. The frustration will eat him alive, the knowledge that he couldn't save her..."_

 _Piper and Jason._

 _Percy struggled to breath._

 _"The son of Mars will be next, and the little witch will die again, and this time not even Pluto will be able to save her."_

 _Frank and Hazel._

 _Tears burned at her cheeks, and Percy screamed as hard as she could, the action clearing her throat for a second and letting her breath deeply, but a second later dirt collected itself on her throat again, and Gaea choked her again._

 _"—death will come to the ghost king—"_

 _Nico._

 _Percy started to feel dizzy, the lost of oxygen and the lost of her adrenaline was slowly weakening her._

 _"The last one to die will be the most fearsome of them all, the strongest warrior of the legion. Heartbroken at the death of the lieutenant of Artemis, killing her will be so easy..."_

 _Reyna and Thalia._

 _"And you, Persephone Jackson, will watch them all die, unable to help them. Your own loyalty will kill you, and I will finally seek my vengeance on you and those so called gods for killing my favourite son, the one who should've ruled instead of that Zeus."_

 _Dizzily, Percy saw Gaea's eyes opening, and as she screamed at the horrible vision of Gaea waking up, the dream shifted._

 _The dream shifted away, and Percy could breath again. After a few seconds of regaining her breath and her nerves, Percy looked around._

 _She wasn't standing in that cave anymore, but at the edge of Half-Blood Hill._

 _Familiarity hit her, and she breathed a sigh of relief._

 _But then she caught sight of the handsome face of Luke Castellan, standing in front of her, and everything changed. Percy felt herself calm just a little. Luke had been a friend of some sorts, and he died a hero. He was good now, he wasnt evil anymore..._

 _But then as Percy darted her eyes to ask what was going on, she looked into his eyes, and saw gold instead of icy blue. His sweet smile morphed into a cruel, twisted one, his scar glistening a sickening pink that made the scar look fresh and recently made._

 _"Persephone Jackson," Luke's voice was darker than his own, and the golden in his eyes was enough to tell Percy that wasn't Luke._

 _That was Kronos._

 _"Kronos," Percy felt herself whispering, her voce sounding as husky as Gaea'. Her throat burned, as if she had actually choked with earth and dirt._

 _Luke's face morphed into a dark twisted smile. "I'm waiting."_

 _Percy's brain forced itself to comprehend. "Waiting?"_

 _All Luke's face did was smile. "Where are you my sweet sea scum? I'm waiting."_

 _In that moment, something overcome Percy, and she tried to run away, but her legs moved slower than they've ever moved, almost in slow motion._

 _"I'm waiting."_

 _As the titan's stolen hands started to grasp Percy, she felt her heart constricting, and her eyes flew open._

She woke from her dream.

Her eyes were wide and her heart was racing wildly. She looked around, feeling lost for a second, but then remembered where she was, and groaned, sitting up and lowering her face to her hands in a desperate motion.

Hee face was sticky with sweat, and her body felt feverishly hot. She groaned again, and let herself fall into her mattress, hands still on her face.

Every day, the same nightmare.

It didn't mattered what she did, that nightmare always followed her.

Always.

Always the sleeping Gaea; always Kronos possessing Luke.

The first time that happened she had been extremely scared, and had asked Apollo, her boyfriend in that moment, if that was a demigoddess dream of some sort. She had been scared that it was a vision, she had been scared that it was Gaea playing with her mind, that she was waking up again...

And then there was Kronos part in the dream. Always confusing to her, the Titan always muttered the same. Waiting...but for what?

But Apollo, being the god of dreams and phropecies, shook his head at that. No demigod or demigoddess could have visions anymore, not since his Oracle stopped working. Not since the power of seeing the future seemed to escape him.

He had comforted her immediately, telling her that it wasn't Gaea nor Kronos, but Percy's own subconscious. Those were just nightmares, a glimpse of Percy's subconscious, of what she feared most.

It wasn't a secret to Apollo that Percy feared Kronos more than she feared Gaea. That's why her nightmares with him were confusing. Gaea had been way too easily to destroy, the dreams with her were short and direct to the point.

Kronos had took time and had taken way too many lives. With Kronos more people had died, and the war was more gruesome and hard. With Gaea only few people died, and it had been easier to put her to sleep again...

From both of them, Percy feared Kronos more. And Apollo knew it, and Percy himself knew it. That was the "I'm waiting" part in the dream. Apollo liked to think it was Percy's way of telling herself that she was waiting for herself to get over the first war; but deep down, Apollo knew it was something deeper than that.

Percy knew it too, but she refused to see beyond her nightmares.

For a couple of weeks, the nightmares had subsided. Her dreams used to be filled with beautiful things and full of Apollo. He had promised to help her overcome her fears, starting with her nightmares, so he, using his god powers, had stopped any nightmare to come, instead filling her dreams with memories of them, of their dates.

When they broke up, the nice dreams stopped, and the nightmares came back.

Percy didn't knew if that was Apollo's way of "punishing" her for breaking up with him, but all she knew in moments like this, when the nightmares came, was that she missed him.

A lot.

She missed when he comforted her, and she missed feeling safe in her dreams. But she was never admitting that out loud, not after their disastrous break up.

After hesitating for a moment, Percy rose from the bed. She rummaged through her luggage—Paul had left it in her room as she slept—and after choosing fresh clothes, she headed towards the bathroom. A nice hot shower could help her.

Water always made her feel better.

 **...**

Feeling much better after a long shower, Percy went downstairs, only to find Paul sleeping on the couch, and Sally arranging things in the kitchen.

"Hey," the girl greeted.

Sally turned and grinned at her. "Hey, dear. Did you sleep well?"

Percy's smile faltered, but she caught herself before her mother could notice. She nodded, not trusting her voice, and started to help her mother.

"Poor Paul fell asleep almost instantly after finishing with our luggages," said Sally, fondly. "Didn't even make it to our room."

"Did you managed to rest?" Percy asked her mother, curiously.

Sally nodded. "Of course I did. But only a couple of minutes, I want all our things to be perfect before Monday. I'll be by myself in the house while you two go to school." she moved around the kitchen almost gracefully, while Percy watched with a faint smile.

It had been long since Sally had looked so fresh and calm...

"I missed you," Percy admitted after a moment.

Sally stopped what she was doing, and turned towards Percy. "Oh, dear..." she quickly made her way towards her daughter, and embraced her tightly. "I missed you too. You have no idea how much..."

After a second, Percy pulled away, sighing. "Okay, enough of this sentimental stuff. Can I help you with something? I need to be distracted or I'll start tearing my hair off."

Sally chuckled, but leaded Percy towards the living room. "It's okay, I'll go wake Paul up, he slept enough by now, and we must hurry to the store to buy the things for your room before the sun sets completely. I don't like driving at night, you never know what could happen..."

—...it was harder to identify a monster at night. Sally had the capacity to see past the Mist and past every disguise, but even she had her slips, now more than ever because of her age. That's why she hated driving at night when Percy was with them, she worried for their safety.

 **...**

Some time after that, the three of them were making their way towards the closest store, which happened to be Walmart, to buy the things for Percy's room and a whole other things they needed for their new house.

"What colour you want your room to be, again?" Paul asked as they walked towards the house paint area in the store.

"Blue," Percy answered inmediately. "Any type of blue will be nice, but I absolutely hate navy blue, looks more black than blue to be honest."

"Blue, what a surprise." Paul said, the corner of his lips turning into an amused smile as he pointedly looked at the blue jacket the demigoddess was wearing over an old Camp-Half Blood t-shirt, and the blue ripped jeans she was wearing.

"What can I say? It's a family thing." Percy grinned, shrugging innocently.

Her mother chuckled besides her, remembering how it was actually her fault the girl was so in love with that colour.

Well, technically, it was fault of Gabe Ugliano, who had argued with Sally multiple times over the fact that there was no blue food. Since then, Sally had cooked everything and artificially painted it blue, thus starting Percy's obsession with the colour.

"I think it's a lovely colour," Sally said, sharing a look with Percy.

"Yes, of course, but even lovelier in food." Percy grinned back.

Both of them shared another look as Paul looked curious, but didn't asked. He had learned not to ask most times, the matter being extremely ridiculous or extremely important. Still, he ventured the store, and when they reached the house paint area, Percy groaned out loud after seeing the long wait up line.

"Really?" she sighed exasperatedly.

Paul noticed, and knew her ADHD made her an impatient person sometimes, and considering they had traveled for hours and had rested little, the girl probably had zero patience in that moment.

"Hey, why don't I stay in line and buy the paint while you and Sally go and fetch the rest of the things?" Paul said gently. "After we're done here we can go exploring and eat dinner, and then back home, yes?"

Not noticing, Percy nodded. "Yeah, sure, thanks."

Sally smiled at her husband for his gesture, and then left with her daughter.

 **...**

Sally and Percy had time to buy all the house items they needed for their new house, and even brought Percy school materials and other personal items, and even after that, Paul was still waiting in line when they came back.

Only, that he already had ordered, and was now waiting for them to handle it to him. He was talking with a handsome guy that was also waiting. Percy frowned at the chill that went through her spine as they approached Paul and the unknown man.

The man emanated a powerful sensation. Not quite monster-like, but almost reaching there. Percy's body tensed immediately, and she gritted her teeth. The man seemed friendly enough, as he was speaking animatedly with Paul, but no mortal had ever emanated such a wave of monster powder before.

If that man wasn't a monster, he had been spending time with some.

Or, a moment of hesitation seized Percy, what if there was nothing wrong with the guy, and she was imagining all of that. Her paranoia was strong, maybe she was wrong and that feeling was just in her mind.

Sally noticed her hesitation, and stopped too, just a few steps away from Paul and the man. "What is it, love? Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Percy said. Her heart was jumping wildly with adrenaline again, and she couldn't keep her eyes away from the man talking to her step-father. "I'm just paranoid, I guess."

"Of him?" Sally quickly looked back at the man, trying to see if the man had Mist around him, but she saw nothing. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know, mom," Percy pursed her lips. "I just can't shake this feeling...but I'm sure it's nothing, I'm probably just paranoid. The war made me paranoid, I guess."

Uncomfortable with the way her mother looked at her, Percy looked away. Discretely, she tried to control her heartbeat and to back down from the adrenaline rush that overcome her.

Paul saw them, and beckoned them over. Sally tuned to Percy, "We don't have to go towards them if you don't like the way that man feels like. Okay, that sounded bad but you know what I mean."

Percy shook her head. Uncomfortable but not wanting to make a scene or seem dramatical. Chiron always told her to follow her instincts, because that was what kept the demigods alive, but this time she didn't knew if she should or not...

"It's okay, I guess," Percy said, "I don't even know him yet. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. It'll surprise you how many times that has happened before."

Sally looked worried at that, but said nothing. After a second of hesitation, Percy walked forwards, and met Paul. Sally followed too, and Paul wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Got everything we needed?" Paul asked Sally, who nodded. He noticed how both his wife and step-daughter were watching his new friend, and he proceeded to present them. "Sally, dear, this is Alaric Saltzman. Alaric, this is my wife Sally and my step-daughter Percy."

Alaric quickly smiled politely at both of them, and shook Sally's hand, seeing the tension on the teenager he simply nodded at her, still smiling politely.

"He, um, works at Mystic Falls High," Paul informed them, eyes meeting Percy's for a second.

"Yes, uh," Sally turned to Percy, remembering she hadn't told her. "Paul came here last week to see how was the school, so he partially knows the grounds already."

"Cool," Percy nodded, giving the man a look. He looked young, probably her parents age, and normal beyond the monster powder that emanated from him. She relaxed just a little. "What do you teach?"

It was a polite question, more to convince herself he wasn't a monster than anything else. Usually, when she encountered monsters disguised as mortals, their eyes flashed or something would cross them at the demigoddess talking to them, but with Alaric none of that happened.

"History," Alaric answered. "It's more interesting than it sounds like, I promise."

Percy chuckled, more relaxed now that she was nearly sure he wasn't a monster. "Don't worry, I find History interesting," she paused, then added, "Sometimes."

All the adults chuckled.

"You're starting this week, right?" Alaric asked Percy, then to turn to Paul, letting him know the question was to both of them.

Paul nodded. "We start on Monday. Though I have to go tomorrow and start fixing the classroom that's going to be mine."

Percy frowned at that, while Sally sighed. The demigoddess thought they were going to spend their weekend together before they had to start at school. But, it seemed that that wasn't the case.

"Ah, yes, there's nothing like cleaning up the mess the former teacher left," Alaric nodded sympathetically, having done it multiple times already.

Both he and Paul chuckled, at what, Percy wasn't sure, probably something only teachers understood. She looked at her mother, who was looking distracted as her husband and Alaric talked.

"Hey, Percy," Alaric's voice interrupted Percy's line of thought. When the girl looked his way, he continued. "How old are you?"

Percy narrowed her eyes for a second. Why did he cared? She wasn't even part of the conversation. Her mind quickly betrayed her, and she wondered if he was asking because he was in fact a monster in disguise and wanted to know who he was dealing with before killing her—

—no. She shook her head softly. She forced herself to remember he was a mortal, that he looked and acted like a mortal, that he probably meant no danger to her.

"Seventeen," she answered.

"My girlfriend's niece is seventeen too, and she goes to Mystic Falls High School, if you ever need assistance I'm sure she won't mind helping you." Alaric said, to then add. "She is very kind and, to be honest, I wouldn't mind knowing she has a new friend. The once she has..."

The tone he used implied he didn't approved of her choice of friends. He would never say anything if his girlfriend's niece was there, because he had no right to say anything; but considering he was friends with Damon and Stefan, he could say Elena wasn't the safest girl in the world.

"I'm sure she's lovely," Percy said politely. "She's a senior as me?" She asked, wanting to know if she was to share any class with the girl Alaric mentioned.

"Oh, no, she's a junior," Alaric said, hands going to his pocket as he half shrugged. "But I'm sure you will meet her, new students in the middle of the year always attract attention."

Percy nodded at that. She didn't cared about that much, she was used to it considering all the schools she attended to, and she was sort of famous between demigods, so she was mostly used to the attention. And to some point it didn't even bothered her anymore.

In that moment, their paint was ready, and after Paul paid for it, they were ready to leave. They said goodbye to Alaric, and started to leave. However, Sally turned, and faced Alaric again.

"Hey, Alaric," Sally called, making the man look back at them. "Do you happen to know about any good restaurant around here?"

"Of course, the closest one is just some streets away from here. It's called "The Grill", and everyone seems to hang out there. The food and the service is good, so I recommend it." he smiled politely. "You drive until you see plaza, and just a few stores from it there's the Grill. If you manage to get lost you ask around, everyone knows where it is."

Sally returned his smile. "Thank you very much, Alaric."

The man nodded, and turned back when he heard the store man calling his name.

"Okay," Paul said as they walked. "Dinner at the grill and then back home, yes?"

"Yes," Sally agreed immediately, worrying when she saw the sun had almost settled completely. It was going to be dark soon...

"I'll drive," Percy offered.

Paul nodded, and threw her the keys. He opened the door for Sally, and entered the car.

"Do you think everything is grilled at The Grill?" Percy wondered as she started the car. "I mean, the name had to come from somewhere, didn't it?"

Paul and Sally chuckled at her, and Percy smiled to herself. Jokes and dumb comments always were her speciality, even more if they helped to hide how she was actually feeling.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Vampire Diaries._

 _English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any errors I might have._

 ** _Summary:_** _Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two wars is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little does she know—Mystic Falls is a monster infected town. Will the saviour of Olympus be saved before its too late, or will the darkness within her consume all that was left of her? Will she fall in love again?_

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 3**

Percy Jackson was beautiful.

Her eyes were a stunning shade of sea-green, and her hair was curly and black as the night sea. Her body was alright too, with soft muscles and a tanned complexion for all the time she used to spend down by the beach in Camp Half-Blood, and the many times she spend inside of the Sun Chariot with Apollo.

Her smile was breathtaking. She smiled a lot, just like her father, and it was often a sarcastic playful smile, but when she smiled her real smile, it was as if the room lightened up, as Apollo used to tell her.

Her personality was part of her beauty too.

She had flaws like everybody else: she was sarcastic and liked to make dumb comments to see how everyone reacted, and often judged people by their actions, and she couldn't stand to see a broken promise.

But her more prominent personality was the one that made her beautiful. She was loyal and nice. She was nice with people who deserved it, and she would never ever break a promise. She was too loyal for her own good; it was her fatal flaw, as the goddess Athena had told her.

There was no denying it in any way; she was beautiful.

Apollo used to joke that she was too beautiful for her own good. She wasn't the most beautiful girl in the world, there was more beautiful people, but she certainly was beautiful.

She was almost a Mary-Sue, he had said, listing all the people who had been in love with her or that had crushed on her, which were a lot: He, Luke Castellan, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Calypso, Nico Di Angelo, Reyna Ávila Ramírez Arellano, and a handful of campers from both demigods camps.

She hated it, because she couldn't correspond any of their feelings. She only ever loved Apollo, and Apollo only, and it hurt her to break their hearts.

But as Apollo always said, she was beautiful.

She had to be; she dated a Greek god, and was confused for a Roman goddess the first time she entered Camp Jupiter, but she never thought much of herself. She didn't had a low self-esteem, but she didn't also cared much about her physical appearance.

She thought that the only thing that should matter was the personality. Looks changed, personality didn't.

That's why, when she entered Mystic Falls, she knew there would be boys interested in her. It always happened, always. People always interested in the new girl in town, and the new girl in school. And she was tired of it, of being new in schools and new in towns.

She was tired of being the centre of attention everywhere. In both camps, her looks and her role as the heroine of Olympus caught everybody's attention, and here in Mystic Falls, her looks and the perspective of a new girl in town, would caught everybody's attention.

And she hated it.

She missed New York, where no one looked her way more than once, a place big enough to get lost in a crowd of people, a place where she was herself.

And of course, she missed Camp Half-Blood, where she knew everybody and everybody knew her.

...

The second she entered The Grill with her parents, everyone's eyes were on them. In a small town new people were always sparked curiosity. And while Percy was used to people looking at her—she was a heroine, she had to be used to be looked at—she hated it.

It made her extremely uncomfortable. People looked at them with curiosity, and she could literally imagine what they were saying. New poor family in town, new teenager girl, new teacher for the school, new writer...

"Why couldn't we stay at home?" Percy said, looking uncomfortable as some teenager boys stared at her as if they'd never seen a girl before. "I don't like this place."

Sally and Paul looked uncomfortable too, but they were already sitting a table, so they couldn't exactly leave. It would be extremely rude, besides, they liked to think they should get over anything that made them uncomfortable or disgusted. It was a way of growing up.

"It's not that bad," Sally said, trying to smile. "They'll get over us soon, let us just enjoy this family dinner night, yes? It's been a while since we've been together as a family having dinner."

"Well," Paul said as Percy closed her mouth, deciding not to object anymore. "The food certainly looks good. Let's just hope it tastes as good as it looks like."

As Sally promised, people stopped looking their way after a while, getting bored of their normality, and they started to relax. Percy smiled and joked with Paul while Sally overlooked the menu, making comments every now and then.

"So is everything here grilled as I thought?" Percy smiled at her mother.

Sally grinned at her. "No, but I think you will like the food. There are lots of hamburgers, and hot dogs, and French fries."

"Ah, yes, junk food," Percy grinned widely. "After a year without junk food, I'm more than ready for calories and greasy food damaging my body."

Paul looked amused at the teenager, who always seemed to be hungry.

"But not much of it," Sally stopped smiling, trying to look serious. "You can't get too unhealthy. It might be dangerous."

"I know, mom," Percy said solemnly.

At Camp Half-Blood, demigods were under a strict diet of healthy food, because if one got unhealthy with junk food, the muscles could lose their strength, and people get lazier, and when in a battle, the demigod could die or get hurt, so everyone was under a strict diet.

"Don't worry," Percy added. "I'm good as new."

She didn't mentioned that in Tartarus she had very little things to eat, so she was mostly starved when she got out, and ate all the food she could find, junk or not.

And her statement was a lie. She wasn't good as new, she was still sore and tired from all the nights she spent awake because of her nightmares, but her mother didn't had to know that.

Sally smiled, her worry dying instantly. If her daughter said she was okay, it was the truth. Percy had never lied to her. Ever. "I'm glad to hear that, my dear."

The waiter approached them after some minutes. He was a young man, probably Percy's age, with sandy blond hair and baby blue eyes.

He smiled at them politely. "Welcome to The Grill. My name is Matt, and I'll be your waiter tonight. May I take your orders?"

He looked very nice and kind, but Percy froze when he stood at their side. He looked like a mortal, but he had the same horrible smell and feeling that Alaric had. For a second, Percy thought again that it was her paranoia, but it was the second time it happened in an hour.

And with two different people. No one else in the restaurant gave off that feeling, only Matt. Percy knew instantly that her theory was right. She wasn't being paranoid. There was a monster in Mystic Falls, and both Alaric and Matt had been spending time with it.

There was no mistaking it. The feeling both Alaric and Matt had was too strong to be Percy's paranoia. There was absolutely no mistaking it.

 _There was a monster in Mystic Falls._

But that made no sense. Monsters didn't mess with mortals, they usually ignored them. They only messed with demigods and gods. _Why would this monster be spending time with mortals?_

"Percy," Sally stressed, looking at her daughter.

Percy looked at Sally, to then look at Matt, who was watching her. When their eyes met, he blushed in a cute way, but looked uncomfortable. Only then she realized he'd been trying to take her order for some time now.

"I'm sorry, I spaced out," Percy faked an apologetic smile. Her shoulders were tense, and she gritted her teeth together. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was running so fast with all her questions and doubts that she didn't quite felt like herself.

"Dear, this young man is waiting for you," Paul said gently. "He is the waiter, he will take your order."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Percy shook her head, looking down at the menu again. She couldn't even remember what she wanted to eat. She wasn't hungry anymore. "Uh, pizza would be okay. Thanks."

Matt nodded, wrote something on his notebook, and left. Percy followed him with her eyes until he was out of her sight line. When she looked back, both Paul and Sally were looking at her with concern.

Sally leaned forwards and took her hand. "What's wrong, Percy?"

Percy kept her mouth shut. She knew she could trust her parents, but she didn't wanted them to worry more than they already did. A monster in Mystic Falls could mean her departure back to Camp, and even though she missed New York, she liked the idea of being with her family for a whole year.

The monster deal had to stay a secret if she wanted to stay with her family.

"Nothing's wrong. I just..." Percy trailed off. "I got lost in thoughts. It happens sometimes, I'm sorry I worried you both. I'm perfectly okay, I just...got lost in my own head, I guess."

Paul and Sally didn't looked completely convinced, but decided not to say anything else. Percy had changed, and they couldn't do anything about it. She went through two wars, getting kidnapped and losing her memory, and then Tartarus...it was perfectly normal for her to space out sometimes.

"Okay." Paul nodded. "But you know you can trust us, right?"

Percy liked that kind of reassurance they gave her. Of course she knew, but to be reminded they cared was gratifying.

"I know. Thank you."

 **...**

During the time they stayed in The Grill eating, Percy kept an eye out for any monsters, and for everyone that approached Matt. Since he smelled like a monster, the monster was probably spending time with him.

So far, nothing remotely monster-like had approached Matt, and Percy was starting to feel dumb.

What if there was no monster? What if her paranoia was getting worst? First, she thought the whole town felt monster infected, and now two of the people she met in Mystic Falls smelled and felt like monster even thought they were mortals.

It was either her imagination, or there was a monster that liked to hang around mortals in Mystic Falls.

When they were leaving The Grill, Matt approached them again with the bill, and this time, Percy managed to actually study the boy better. He noticed her look, and smiled kindly.

"Hello. You're the new girl in town, aren't you?" he even spoke kindly. "Alaric told me we have a new student at school."

"Gossips travel fast around here," Percy said, raising her eyebrows.

Matt chuckled. "You have no idea."

"I'm Percy Jackson," the demigoddess extended her hand, the last retort to knowing if he was a monster. When he took it, and nothing changed in his facial expression, Percy sighed tiredly. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Matt smiled. Percy liked that he didn't said anything about her name being a boy's name. Usually everybody always commented on that. "Are you enjoying Mystic Falls?"

He was being nice by trying to start a conversation, and while Percy couldn't shake the feeling of monster powder that he emanated, she couldn't be rude to someone that was being polite to her.

"It's my first day here," Percy shrugged. "But it seems like a nice town."

"It is," Matt promised. "You'll fit right in. You're going to be attending school, right?"

Percy nodded. "It's my last year. I start on Monday."

Sally and Paul rose after leaving the money in the bill card, and Percy rose with them, smiling at Matt in a polite forced way.

"I guess I'll see you around in school," Matt nodded politely. "And if you ever need something, don't hesitate to tell me, I know how frustrating it must be to be new in a town where you know no one. So I'm here if you ever need anything."

The offer made Percy smile. Matt was so nice that Percy immediately thought of Frank Zhang, who was the nicest boy Percy ever met. He was, as Leo Valdez used to say to mess with him, a cinnamon roll: _too good for this world, too pure..._

"Thanks, Matt. See you around."

When she turned, the smile dropped out of her face, and she pushed down her urges to attack after being so close to someone that gave away the feeling of monsters. She left The Grill with her parents, the three of them living a lie.

Sally, who thought she could fix Percy.

Paul, who thought everything could be alright if they were united as a family.

And Percy, who thought she was too broken to be fixed.

 **...**

They started painting Percy's room that same night, and since it wouldn't be healthy to sleep in a room that smelled only of paint, Percy slept in the couch at the living room.

Sally wanted her to sleep upstairs with them, but that would've been way too awkward, and Percy feared she would wake them off if she had a nightmare and woke up screaming.

So despite the couch being hard to sleep at, Percy spent her night there. She had tried to stay awake, for she wanted to investigate and see if she could find out what type of monster was living in Mystic Falls, but she was too tired, and soon, she fell asleep.

* * *

 _Percy glared at the poison flood encroaching from all sides. She concentrated so hard that something inside of her cracked—as if a crystal ball had shattered in her stomach. Warmth flowed through her._

 _The poison tide stopped. The fumes blew away from her, going back to the goddess. The lake of poison rolled towards her in tiny waves and rivulets._

 _Akhlys shrieked. "What is this?"_

 _"Poison," Percy said. "That's your specialty, right?"_

 _She stood, her anger growing hotter in her gut, as the flood of venom rolled towards the goddess, the fumes began to make her cough. Her dark eyes watered even more._

 _Oh, good, Percy thought. More water._

 _Percy imagined her nose and throat filling with her own tears._

 _Akhlys gagged. "I—" The tide of venom reached her feet, sizzling like droplets on a hot iron. She wailed and stumbled back._

 _Percy watched with extreme satisfaction. The way she looked, the way Misery was so miserable made Percy feel warmth and happy in an exuberant way that couldn't be clearly described._

 _"Percy!" Annabeth called. She'd retreated to the edge of the cliff, even though the poison wasn't after her. She sounded terrified. It took Percy a moment to realize Annabeth was terrified of her. "Stop," she pleaded, her voice hoarse._

 _Percy didn't wanted to stop. She wanted to choke this goddess. She wanted to watch her drown in her own poison. She wanted to see how much misery Misery could take._

 _"Percy, please..." Annabeth's face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them made Percy's anger fade slowly, leaving only an empty feeling on her stomach, and fear of what she made Annabeth see._

 _Percy forced herself to turn towards the goddess again. Looking at her, she felt her anger start to build again, and all she wanted to do was choke that goddess to dead. She wanted to see if it was possible to kill the immortal._

 _But then she thought of Annabeth, and her terrified eyes. Terrified of her._

 _Percy willed the poison to recede, creating a small path of retreat along the edge of the cliff._

 _"Leave!" she bellowed at the goddess._

 _For an emancipated ghoul, Akhlys could run pretty fast. After she was gone, Annabeth stumbled towards Percy. She looked like a corpse wreathed in smoke, but she felt solid enough when she gripped her arms._

 _"Percy, please, don't ever..." her voice broke in a sob. "Some thing aren't meant to be controlled. Please."_

 _Her body tingled with power, but the anger was subsiding. The broken glass inside her was beginning to smooth at the edges. But the emptiness continued. For Annabeth's sake, and her own, Percy nodded, forcing her mind to work again._

 _"Yeah. Okay, yeah."_

* * *

Percy woke up with a gasp, her green eyes widening almost painfully.

Her throat burned painfully, her whole self ached for the feeling her mind so desperately wanted to forget.

Annabeth was right, as usual. Some things weren't meant to be controlled, but those things were addicting. Percy knew she should never want to do that again, but something had broken inside of her.

And as much as she feared it, she craved it.

It was as if someone had cursed her. She couldn't stop thinking about that night she tortured Misery in Tartarus. She had felt so good, so powerful...

She had liked letting her anger out on someone. All her life, she had been bottling up her emotions, and the seconds the bottle broke, she felt so powerful and so good. It was an indescribable feeling. After all those years being a pawn of the gods, finally letting her anger out on someone had felt like heaven.

And as much as she feared becoming dark again, she wished she could just let it all go, and felt that that she felt while torturing Misery. She had felt so free, so powerful, so...good.

No one ever said that bad things would feel so good. No one ever said that power would be so addictive.

By now, tears leaked out of Percy's eyes, and she forced herself not to make a sound in case her sobs could wake her parents up in such a silent night.

"What is happening to me?" she cried out, as silent as she could, but unable not to say that out loud after wondering that for so many weeks.

She was angry with the gods. She really was, but she would never become like Luke. She wasn't like that, she never wanted to be like that. And this that she was feeling...it was tearing her from the inside, making her feel so empty and so much like someone different from who she was.

She was scared, she was frightened.

This feeling was too strong for her, and she was terrified of it, of what she could do.

"This is not me," Percy gasped out, more tears falling from her eyes. She grabbed her face in her hands, her silent sobs making her body shake. "Why do I feel like this? Oh gods, please, stop this."

It was a desperate notion, praying to the gods for help when no one really cared. They were gods, they probably knew what was happening to her, and no one cared. No one helped her, no one seemed worried, not even Apollo. And that's what most hurt Percy, that she was completely alone in this.

She gasped again, her fingers burning with the desire of conjuring water and see what else could she make that could compare itself to what she did in Tartarus.

"Please," she sobbed. "Make this stop."

"C'mon, Persephone. Don't be a whiny child," Kronos' voice called.

Percy gasped, turning around, only to see the handsome face of Luke Castellan, standing just in front of her.

"It's just a little bit of pain. A little bit of agony, a little bit of emptiness...I thought you were stronger."

Immediately, Percy thought she was dreaming again. But she had just woken up, and she was one hundred percent sure she was awake. The burning ache in her stomach was enough proof of that.

But it couldn't be.

Luke Castellan couldn't be standing in front of her, not when he died, and not when he was speaking with Kronos' voice instead of his own.

Kronos couldn't be in front of her.

But there was no mistaking it. He was really in front of her, looking at her, smirking his very twisted smirk with Luke's soft pink lips.

 _"Hallucinations," Nico had said. "The first weeks after I left Tartarus I started to hallucinate. So far you've never had a hallucination, so maybe you never will."_

"You knew this would happen. It happens to everyone. Every little puny hero that thinks they're too good for their own good, every pure creature..." Kronos scoffed. "Please as if there was something completely pure. You, my dear Persephone, are worst than any other monster you hunt. You say you only kill to protect your family and friends, but you destroyed me, when all I wanted was to have a family again."

Percy found her voice. She knew she shouldn't talk back to a hallucination, but she couldn't help but feel as if he was really standing in front of her.

"You didn't wanted your family back, you wanted to destroy them. To destroy us."

"My family? Those good for nothing gods are not my family! They stopped being my family the moment they sliced me and sent me to Tartarus! Have you not thought of all they've done? They are the monsters, not me."

"Yes, because eating your own children for fear of loosing your throne makes you innocent," Percy snarled. "And killing mortals just for fun, and being a dick to your wife."

Instead of getting angry, Kronos simply smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Percy snapped, loosing her patience, and trying to hide her fear. She was getting worst and worst, now hallucinating about Kronos. One thing was to dream about him, but to hallucinate...it was horrible. "Laugh all you want, but you're the one rooting in Tartarus."

Kronos' smile widened. "Who says I am?"

With that, the Titan approached, Percy, a predator smile on his lips, and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders.

Percy gasped, and tried to squirm away. Hallucinations weren't supposed to touch you. What the Hades was happening?

The Titan smiled again, and said the words that doomed Percy. "I am alive, my dear Persephone. _I am alive in you_. And I am waiting."

She blinked, and he was gone. Her shoulders were in pain, as was her whole body. She looked around wildly, trying to spot him, but he was gone. Nothing seemed different, it was all the same. It was as if he hadn't been there at all.

And in fact, he hadn't.

Percy stood there, shaking with fear and embarrassment.

She managed to walk, and she ran to the bathroom, where she opened her backpack with trembling fingers, and found a drachma and a bottle of fake rainbow.

She turned on the water in the tub in the hottest capacity, creating a fog all around the room. She sprayed the fog with the fake rainbow, and threw the drachma to the middle of it.

 _"Oh, Iris, Goddess of Rainbows. Please accept my offering, and show me Annabeth Chase, whenever she is now."_

Percy's voice shook, as did all her body. She prayed with all her might that Iris would accept her offer and let her talk to Annabeth.

Five seconds later, the iris message cleared, and Percy saw Annabeth. Instead of sleeping like Percy thought she would be, Annabeth was by the fireplace in a room, an old sketchbook by her lap, and an untouched glass of water by her feet.

A warm feeling spread through Percy's body when she saw her best friend. Instantly, she started to feel better. But the second she looked away, the dread came back, along with he fright of what had just happened.

Percy found her voice, but it cracked miserably. "Wise girl."

The blonde girl looked around, confused. Then, she saw the iris message, and started to grin. Her grin died when she saw her best friend's face, and concern immediately appeared on her face.

"Seaweed brain, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Wise girl," Percy cried, wanting to be able to cross over and hug her best friend, but that was impossible. "Annabeth, I need help."

 **...**

In the morning, Sally found her daughter sleeping in the tub, a bottle of fake rainbow and a handful of drachmas on her hands, a frown on her sleeping face, and her cheeks red and puffy, as if she had been crying.

"Percy? Dear? What happened? Are you all right?"

Percy woke up startled, feeling lost and confused until she remembered what had happened. Percy sighed deeply. She had stayed all night talking to Annabeth, and apparently she fell asleep talking to her. Thankfully, after her nightmare and the hallucination, her dreams were weirdly empty.

"Mom," Percy croaked. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to orientate herself. Sally quickly extended a hand towards her, and helped her out of the tub.

Sally quickly grabbed her hands. "What happened?"

"I..." Percy stopped herself. How could she admit that she was losing her mind? She couldn't. Sally had way too many worries on her shoulders to find out Percy was suffering. It wouldn't be fair to her, not after all the months she suffered because of Percy's disappearance.

"I was talking to Annabeth, and I lost track of the time," Percy said. "I fell asleep on the tub, uh, we were talking via Iris Message, so I needed the water from the tub and the rainbow and drachmas..."

Sally stared. A sigh left her mouth then, and Sally seemed to relax. She had thought something terrible had happened, and was worried Percy would have to leave for Camp or something. Usually, when people Iris Messaged Percy, something bad was happening.

But then again, maybe Annabeth was tired of writing letters, and decided to use a more easy technique to talk to Percy.

"I'm sorry I worried you," Percy said, guiltily. "It won't happen again. I just lost track of the time."

Sally smiled and kissed her forehead, not noticing how Percy's body shook. "Don't worry, dear. Now come on, I'm making breakfast for us. Paul will be leaving soon, and we'll have the whole day for us."

Percy forced herself to nod. "I just...I'll get ready and I'll be down in a few."

Sally nodded, kissed her forehead one last time, and left her alone on the bathroom. Percy sighed tiredly, and closed her eyes, her hands grabbing her hair in a desperate motion. Her head ached, and she was frightened for her hallucinations.

Annabeth had been surprised by her words last night, she had been surprised to hear about her hallucinations, but promised to investigate more and more until she could find a remedy or something to help Percy. After all, it had been only just one hallucination, it was probable it was caused by stress and that she wouldn't have more.

But neither Annabeth nor Percy believed that completely.

Both of them were worried, but as Annabeth told Percy, she had to take it easy and continue as if nothing had happened. Percy didn't wanted to worry her mother, so going to a doctor to help her was not an option.

She only had to continue as if nothing had happened. Percy had to continue feigning to be okay, and maybe, she would actually be okay in the end.

The demigoddess took a bath, relaxing her tense shoulders and feeling the comfort that water always managed to give her. She dressed simply and quickly made her way downstairs, where she found Paul and Sally, already eating breakfast.

"Good morning," Paul smiled at her.

"Morning."

Percy sighed, looking at the food on the counter waiting for her. She wasn't hungry, but she knew that if she didn't ate, her parents would get suspicious, for she always had a great appetite for a seventeen years old girl.

"What are we going to do today?" Percy asked, sitting alongside her parents on the table, and forcing herself to start eating.

"I'm going to start remodelling my classroom, and when I come back I shall help you both to finish your room and the rest of the house, how does that sound?" Paul smiled kindly.

"Sounds good," Percy managed to smile.

Finishing unpacking and fixing the house would take time, but not completely, and she needed to do something that would distract her completely. So she thought of starting to investigate Mystic Falls to see if the monster that resided there had attacked anyone, or if there was indeed a monster or something.

Yes. That would help her get distracted and hopefully, not have any more hallucinations.

The only thing Percy didn't thought of, was that if she found out there was indeed a monster in Mystic Falls, and decided to fight it, she would have to use her powers, and if she used her powers...she could maybe fall back into the darkness that she so desperately craved, yet wanted to forget.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Vampire Diaries._

 _English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any errors I might have._

 ** _Summary:_** _Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two wars is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little does she know—Mystic Falls is a monster infected town. Will the saviour of Olympus be saved before its too late, or will the darkness within her consume all that was left of her? Will she fall in love again?_

 **...**

 **Chapter 4**

"There's a carnival in town," Sally muttered. A smile had appeared on her face; she watched as her daughter was distractedly reading some books—which shocked her, because Percy never liked to read, she never had the patience for it, not with her dyslexia.

"Really?" Percy asked distractedly, not really hearing what her mother had said.

"Maybe we could go. It'll be like old times, and it could be a great opportunity for us to meet people from town, and for you to meet other students. Supposedly, the juniors at Mystic Falls High are the ones in charge of it."

Percy nodded. In reality, she wasn't completely aware of what her mother had said. "That sounds very nice, mom. Maybe we should go."

She was reading the enormously big handmade book that had all kinds of information about monsters and how to destroy them.

That book had been a gift from Artemis; the goddess had given it to Percy in hopes of her to get invested into hunting, and join her pack of immortal maidens.

Even when the book was very interesting,— that one, and the one that was about how girls didnt need boys to be happy—and the prospect of hunting forever with someone as strong and cool as Artemis sounded like heaven, Percy couldn't join them.

The first reason had been the prophecy. Percy couldn't simply accept it and leave the responsibility of the war to Nico—the only other living child of the Big Three gods in that moment. She wasn't that selfish, for Nico had been a child back there, and she simply couldn't run from her fate.

The second reason had been love. The hunters of Artemis couldn't fall in love, ever. It was the only thing Artemis asked for in her girls—purity, and the will to stay forever without romantic love, and without the company of men.

Percy had been 13 years old back then, and even when she was young, she couldn't accept it. She wanted love, like any other human being, and refused the idea of living a life where she couldn't have romantic love.

So she had not joined the hunters of Artemis.

It had been a good decision, for she become the Heroine of Olympus, and saved more people. And for she found love in the most unusual way.

She had experienced the enormous roller coaster that was loving a Greek god; she couldn't say she regretted it, even the parts that hurt, like the betrayal and the fights, had been the best moments of her life. With Apollo, Percy had felt complete; that was something she could never chance, or forget.

"What are you reading, love?" Sally sounded curious.

Percy blinked, looking up at her mother. Only then she realised the horrible headache she had, probably caused by her attempts at reading a book. Thankfully, Artemis had been considerate enough to write it in ancient Greek, and in a simple way that was easier to read for Percy than plain old English.

"Oh, this...is a book."

Mentally, Percy kicked herself. Of course it was a book, what else could it be? A sword? No, wait, she was sure there were some _swords / books_. Just like she had a _sword / pen_ , she had seen an Athena kid with a _book / sword._

"I can see that," Sally's eyes danced with amusement. "I've never seen you so immerse in a book, is that a gift from Annabeth?"

Usually, Percy cherished and loved every gift that came from her blonde friend, so Sally thought that, maybe, that had also been a gift from her.

"No, actually, this was a gift from Artemis." Percy smiled softly. Artemis was always very nice with her, and Percy admired her greatly. "It's a monster book. Not a monster disguised as a book, mind you, it's just a book about monsters."

 _Lady Artemis,_ Sally remembered. _Apollo's twin sister._

"And may I ask why are you reading that?" Sally was worried for a second. "Is there any problem?"

Percy thought back to her hallucinations, and to the horrible feeling that Mystic Falls had; the horrible monster smell and powder that seemed to not only infest Mystic Falls, but some of their habitants too.

"Just precaution. You never know when I might face against something new, I need to be prepared." Percy shrugged. "Besides, this is actually very interesting. Did you know there are not only Greek monster, but _any_ kind of monsters?"

Sally rose her eyebrows. Looking curious, she sat at her daughter's side. "No, I did not know that."

"Yeah, well, just as there are Greek and Roman monsters, there are monsters about any other kind of mythology. For example...Piper! My friend Piper is Native American, and if she were to fight a monster, she could face one from the Native American mythology. Just like Frank could face one from the Chinese mythology..."

"That is actually very frightening," Sally frowned. "They not only have to worry about Greek monster, but monters from their origins..."

The smile died from Percy's face; she started to look worried, and then kind of sick. "I didn't think of that. You're right, that is horrible."

She looked down at the book on her hands; she had believed it was very interesting the thought of not only Greek and Roman monsters, but monsters from any myth possible, but now...it was sickening the thought.

She had friends from every corner of the world; the diversity of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter was immense, and the thought of them facing more monsters than just the Greek ones was horrible.

"Does that mean that any monster we want to believe in is real?"

"The mind is a powerful thing." Percy looked somber. She thought back to hers, which was now breaking slowly, for she was seeing the dead Titan that ruined her childhood. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were monsters for mortals too."

After a second, she realised what she said, and looked even more horrified. It was possible, Artemis' book said so.

There could be monsters that only existed for mortals; monsters that lived from haunting monsters, just like Greek and Roman monsters lived to hunt and kill demigods.

"Monsters for mortals?" Sally worried increased quickly. Her daughter was a demigoddess, she was half a goddess, half mortal. She could face a monster like that, and the difference between a Greek mythology monster from a mortal monster could be lethal to her.

Percy noticed her mother's growing worry. "Hey, it's okay. Just because this book was written by a goddess it doesn't mean it's all true."

 _Of course that's what it meant._

Sally couldn't stop looking worried, so Percy scratched her memory to try and remember what her mother had been saying before they spoke of monsters. _A carnival, maybe? Something like that._

"Tell me more about the carnival." Percy asked. She closed the book, and glanced back at her mother with forced interest. Anything to take her mind away from what she said, the least Percy wanted was her to worry more because of a silly thing they read on a book.

Sally knew her daughter just wanted to distract her, but she obliged. "It's an annual thing he in Mystic Falls, the Mystic Falls High school is in charge of it. I think it would be a good idea for us to go. We should hang out more often, like before. And you could meet some of your future classmates."

"That sounds..." Percy sighed. Interaction with people was the least thing she wanted. "It sounds very nice, mom. When is it?"

She stood and marched towards the kitchen, leaving the book behind. Sally looked briefly at the book before following her daughter. Percy opened the fridge and took out a water bottle, and then another, and another.

"Tomorrow," Sally answered.

"Great, so I guess we'll be going, right?"

Percy took a box full of cookies, the water bottles, and marched back to the living room. There, she sat back on her couch— she had marked the couch as hers since the very beginning— and resumed what would be a very lazy afternoon reading.

"Of course."

 **...**

A couple of hours after that, the doorbell rang.

Sally was upstairs taking a shower. Percy still was in the couch, though she had dropped any desires of reading from Artemis' book, and was now watching TV distractedly. (Television was probably one of the few thecnological things a demigod could use without attracting monsters).

Percy sighed.

She flinched when her bare feet met the cold surface of the floor. She walked towards the door, dusting cookie powder from her clothes, and opened the door.

A man stood outside; dark hair and icy blue eyes, with high cheekbones and a solid jaw line. His body seemed athletic, but not bulky. He seemed to be in his mid twenties, and was a very handsome man. The smile on his lips screamed trouble.

Suddenly, his troublesome smile changed into a charming smile, his eyes widening and taking a softer look to them. His whole body seemed to emanate charm.

It could've fooled anyone, but it didn't fooled Percy.

All that effort to look nice was something that was often found on liars. People who lied about who they were, and people that weren't nice in reality.

Her years spending time with double faced people (AKA. Most gods) left her the trick of knowing a liar when she saw one, and even at first glance, that man seemed to be hiding something, something deep deep inside of him.

"Hi," he brightened his demeanour considerably. For a second, Percy was struckt by the intensity of his piercing eyes, and her heart jumped. A smirk grew on his face. "My name is Damon Salvatore. I'm your neighbour."

"Oh." Percy couldn't find anything else to say. She was usually very friendly, but she couldn't see what she could say; she never liked the prospect of neighbours introducing themselves. "Pleasure to meet you, Damon. I'm Percy, Percy Jackson."

They shook hands.

The second they touched, Percy pulled back immediately. Her whole arm burned; a sickening feel grew on her insides. She felt breathless, and overwhelmed. The feeling he emanated was as dark and strong as the heart of Tartarus.

Percy felt exactly what she felt while with Alaric and Matt, but a _million_ times _stronger._

"So, are you new in Mystic Falls? I've never seen you around." Damon pointed out. He was ignorant to the thoughts running through the teenager's mind, or how her eyes hardened and her body tensed.

Percy didn't heard him. The horrible feeling that emanated from the man was simply too strong for her to stand. She nearly chocked on the feeling, the horrible death-like feeling the man had all around him. There was no doubt for her in that moment, no paranoia, no imagination.

That man was a monster.

She then could see little details she couldn't at the beginning when she saw him. The little things that screamed that he was a monster; his eyes, which hid many things, and the dark aura around him, screaming trouble.

"Yes, I'm new in town." Percy heard herself say, her mind still running wildly. "I'm from New York."

For a split second, Percy went through all the possible plans to kill him, but she stopped. She didn't even knew what kind of monster he was.

How could one kill something without knowing how to kill it?

He still hadn't attacked. That alone made Percy believe he didn't knew she was a demigoddess. If he knew, he would've attacked the _second_ she opened the door.

But then, if he doesn't know what she is, what was he doing there?

"New York, huh?" Damon smirked. "That's a big change. I actually lived there for a while, but came back here a couple of months ago."

How come a monster could look so genuinely nice?

How could a monster just...talk to her without noticing what she was?

Usually, when a monster appeared, and couldn't actually smell her or know she was a demigoddess, the procedure was to act as normal as possible, and don't attack unless attacked. At least that was what both Annabeth and Luke had taught Percy.

But with the horrible smell and feeling the man emanated, she was finding that very hard to do. Her whole body screamed at her to attack, and a familiar feeling settled on her stomach. She didn't just wanted to kill that monster, she _needed_ to.

"Yeah? What part of New York?"

Percy tried to seem interested, but her heart was racing wildly. She tried to look normal, but her adrenaline was running almost painfully fast; she needed to attack. She needed to defend herself, even when she wasn't being attacked.

A secretive smirk pulled at his lips. "All parts of New York, actually. What about you?"

Percy had a momentary flashback to all the places of New York she had been on. With Apollo, she used to explore the streets until they could literally run around with their eyes closed.

She knew all of New York.

"Same. Though I usually spend my summers in Long Island." Percy said. _Camp Half-Blood._

A little hint for him, a little way of her examining his reaction; a way to see if he would notice what she was.

Her fingers were itching towards her pockets, where Riptide was.

Damon crossed her arms around his chest, leaning against one of the columns of the porch. He moved seductively, and his eyes bore into Percy. "Are you enjoying Mystic Falls?"

"I haven't seen much of it yet," Percy confessed. "But what I've seen seems...normal. Nothing weird happening around, it seems like...a normal boring town." she hinted that she knew it was not a normal town.

Amusement danced on his eyes, and Percy saw the first speck of real emotion on his eyes. "Oh, you have no idea."

"I actually think I do," Percy let in.

Damon took that as flirting, which it was not, and approached even more. He stopped right at the door, as if stopped by something. He stared at her right in the eye, and adopted what he thought was a seductive voice.

Percy frowned. _Was he always like that?_

"You know, I could show you around town, and...show you the most exciting places here. I'll assure you, I could make this boring town feel like the most exciting place in the whole world."

His seductive charm could've worked on anyone, Percy had to admit. But when you date the god of poetry and literally romance, nothing could seem like an innuendo anymore.

"Confident in my answer being a yes, aren't you?" Percy rose her eyebrows, only mildly interested. She had lowered her guard a little, he still hadn't attacked, and for the looks of it, he wasn't going to.

It intrigued her his ignorance.

Was he saying all that to have her alone and attack her? Or was he seriously hitting on her?

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for pretty girls going out with me." Damon smirked that troublesome smirk of his. "Actually, I'm just a sucker of everything." He ended with a seductive wink.

 _Wow_.

And she thought that she had the most dirty mind. She would've blushed, but since he was a monster, she couldn't find that hot at all.

"Still a no," Percy shook her head. "Thank you for your offer but I don't go out with strangers."

 _I don´t go out with monsters._

Man had the tendency to get irritated when women turned down their offers, it didn't mattered what kind of man they were, nearly all of them grew irritated. But not Damon, he simply rose his eyebrows, a curious look on his eyes.

"I can´t stop being a stranger unless you get to know me. What better way than me giving you a ride around town?"

Percy rose an eyebrow. "Who says I want to get to know you?"

A smirk appeared on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with some sort of mischief.

...

In that moment, Sally appeared. She took in the sight of her daughter, who was rubbing her pocket jean almost without noticing it, and the handsome man in the porch.

Damon saw her first. He put on his charming smile again. "Hello."

"Hi."

As Damon greeted Sally the same way he'd greeted Percy, the demigoddess had time to think. Considering he acted the same with Sally as he had with her, that confirmed her theory that he did not know what she was.

But that was impossible. Even if he did not know instantly who or what she was, upon the first seconds he should've discovered it.

It was instinct, just like a demigod could sense a monster, a monster could sense a demigod. It was as if they wore a giant poster that said: _HEY! DEMIGOD / DEMIGODDESS HERE, COME KILL ME._

But Damon Salvatore didn't seemed to get it.

"As I was telling your gorgeous daughter, I could show her around town. You know, get her to know everything and..." his voice changed suddenly, adopting a different turn. "...enjoy this little town and all it has to offer."

"That is a lovely offer, Damon." Sally smiled. She looked back at Percy, who was watching them in silence, a frown on her young face. "Have you always lived here?"

Leave it to adults to always find something to talk about.

Percy sighed. Now her mother was being polite to a monster.

"Oh, no. I kind of move around a lot, but Mystic Falls is my hometown, it's where I always end up at." Damon chuckled. "You know what I mean."

Sally chukcled too, nodding.

Percy saw movement in the street. Just by the end of the deserted woods, just where Damon's house was, two people were standing, looking towards Damon and pointing. The girl turned sharply to the guy, and they both seemed to discuss something.

"I have to go now, my brother is waiting for me." Damon looked back, and waved at the two figures by his house, a fake smile on his face. He turned back to Sally and Percy. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, Sally."

He kissed Sally's hand, making Sally chuckle. Percy refused to let him do the same for her, so she simply nodded in his direction, an uncomfortable smile on her lips.

"See you around."

And he was gone.

Percy restrained herself from bolting inside, for nearly all monsters had super-senses, they could hear more than humans, and Percy didn't wanted him to know she was scared.

She only bolted inside once he was inside his own house.

 **...**

Percy never knew how hard it actually was to try and find out what kind of monster something was without actually seeing them morphing into a monster.

Percy spoke with Damon for five minutes, and in that time he never showed anything that could give Percy a clue as to what he actually was. The only thing Percy knew for sure was that he wasn't a Greek mythology monster.

If he was, he would've felt the godly power running through Percy's veins. He wasn't Roman, not Greek. That was the only thing she was actually completely sure.

And that left her the belief that he might be mortal monster.

A monster meant for mortals.

It was the only logical reasoning as to why he couldn't sense the godly in her.

It was frightening, the thought of a mortal monster. Percy was even more lost than before, for she didn't knew at kind of monster he was, or what would he do, or why half the town smelt like him.

Worry overcome her. If the town smelt like him, it meant he was very involved with them. She needed to protect the mortals...

At the end of the day she was so exhausted for over-thinking about the monster that she felt like fainting. Her head ached terribly, and her limps felt weak and exhausted. She couldn't even breath properly.

Sally, noticing this, took Artemis' book from her, and ordered her to rest.

Percy ended up going upstairs.

Her room was still inhabitable, for Paul had to make a hole in one of the walls to connect the small fountain they had brought so it could have water running through it. So, she ended up entering the only room she still hadn't entered—the music room.

She was so exhausted that once she sat to the couch, she started to doze off. She was almost completely asleep when her best friend's voice woke her.

"Percy!"

In front of her, a magic twirl of breeze wrapped the rainbow in place, in a circular motion. Inside of the rainbow, the silhouette of a beautiful blonde girl urged Percy to wake up. The green eyed demigoddess blinked furiously to wake completely.

After seeing her best friend again, Percy grinned. She had talked with her all night because of the hallucination incident, but it wasn't the same; she missed Annabeth a great deal, and every chance to speak with her made her happy.

"Annie!" Percy brightened up. "What's up?"

"I've got news," the daughter of Athena announced. Her grey eyes were more relaxed, more calm than they'd been the night before. Her lips we curled in a excited grin, making her look even more beautiful than before.

"Yeah?" Percy grinned too; she always loved seeing Annabeth happy.

"I'm leaving San Francisco. Too many monsters here, you know, because of the mist and all."

San Francisco was a bad place for demigods.

The mist is strongest there because Garden of the Hesperides, Mount Othrys, and Camp Jupiter are located there, and many monsters dwell there because of that. Annabeth had tried living there with her family for some time, but it always ended like that—with she being attacked and then having to move.

"Oh, are you going back to Camp?" Percy was surprised at her excitement. She had thought she liked San Francisco. "Because I'm yet to see why you would be happy to be attacked by monsters."

Annabeth chuckled. "I'm not happy because of that, seaweed brain. I'm happy because I'm leaving San Francisco with my father to search for Magnus again. He was spotted in Boston this time, so that's where we're going."

"Boston?" Percy frowned. "You really think he is dumb enough to be living in the same place he always lived in?"

"Well, he was spotted there, so..."

Percy scoffed. "One would think your cousin would be smarter than that."

Percy saw Annabeth rolling her eyes, an amused smirk growing to her lips. She could almost see her thinking: _Seaweed Brain, please._

"Anyway...I'm happy because in our trip from California to Boston we'll stop at places to eat and rest, and I convinced my father to stop in Virginia, so we could meet someplace and hang out."

Percy squeaked happily. "Really!?"

Annabeth brightened. "Yes! So, what do you say, Seaweed Brain?" Percy saw behind Annabeth what seemed to be her room, and she saw lots of luggages and books scattered all around. "We could hang out more often too, maybe in the weekends, for Boston will be closer to Virginia than California is."

"Hell yeah! You have no idea how much I've missed you, Wise Girl. I need you with me, I literally can't live without you." Percy ended dramatically.

Annabeth laughed, and called Percy an endearing pet name: "You idiot."

"I'm telling the truth!" Percy's eyes gleamed. "My life has been this empty void without you—"

"It's been weeks since we last saw each other in person," Annabeth deadpanned.

"A week without you, oh my gods, Annie. I can't keep up with this feeling, I miss you too much—"

Annabeth was laughing loudly by now, and Percy was stopping herself from laughing too. Annabeth moved a strand of hair behind her ear, and sighed.

"I see you're better now, good. How are you feeling?"

Percy's smile dropped.

Annabeth noticed the pain in her eyes, and regreted ever asking her that. But she had been extremely worried too, and wanted to know if she was better.

"I'm better," Percy said swiftly. "I mean..." she sighed. "If I'm honest, I don't know. I haven't had hallucinations today, but I'm still scared. I don't want to see him again, I have enough with having nighmares about him, I can't stand seeing him when I'm awake too."

Annabeth frowned. "You still have nightmares?" she had some nightmares every now and then, but never with Kronos or Gaea. Hers were mostly nightmares about Tartarus.

Percy nodded, a sigh leaving her mouth. Only then Annabeth saw the dark circles under Percy's eyes, and realised how little the girl must be sleeping.

"Apollo stopped helping you?"

Pain made Percy's heart constrict at the thought of Apollo, and she swallowed. It had been almost a month since they broke up, but the wound was still open and fresh. It still hurt like the first day.

Annabeth took her silence as an answer.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I wish I could help you, but I don't know what to say." Annabeth looked impotent. She despised greatly seeing her best friend in pain. "I wish I could be there for you right now, I would hug you and never let you go again"

"I think he stopped caring for me the second we broke up." Percy confessed. She swallowed, and looked away for a moment, the reality of her own words hurting her.

The Iris Message blurred for a second, but came back again quickly. Annabeth was shaking a bottle of fake rainbow, and cursing herself in a low tone for forgetting about that.

"You know what? Forget hugs," Annabeth said, a frown on her face. "I want to kick Apollo's godly ass until he is sorry for leaving you."

Percy couldn't help but chuckle at that. Knowing Annabeth, she could literally kick Apollo's ass, not caring that he was an Olimpian god.

"It was a nice ass, though." Percy sighed. "I would hate to see you kicking it."

Annabeth chuckled.

"Hey, when is it that you're coming to Virginia?" Percy remembered.

"Oh, in a couple of days." Annabeth brightened again. "I'll call you when we'll be close to the town, I don't know exactly when we'll leave San Francisco. My father is preparing everything so my step-mother and step-brothers won't have any problems while we're gone."

"Oh, okay. Sure."

"Oh, gods I have so many things to tell you," Annabeth sighed. In the back, a femenine voice called her name, and Annabeth turned briefly. Then a masculine voice, and then childish voices. Annabeth sighed, and turned towards Percy. "I have to go, we're going out to have dinner. I'll call you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, have fun." Percy was disappointed. "Take care, love you."

Annabeth blowed a kiss at her. "You take care, you hear me? And call me if anything happens. I love you, see you later."

Percy moved her hand through the Iris Message, making it disappear. She sighed again, running a hand through her hair this time.

She closed her eyes for a second, feeling herself drift again in Morpheus arms. But then, she opened her eyes, and a wide grin appeared on her face.

 _Annabeth was going to visit her!_

"Mom!" Percy yelled. She run downstairs, excitedly skipping down the stairs. She found her mother in the living room, watching tv distractedly, a bowl of popcorn in her lap.

She looked up startled when she heard Percy yelling her name.

"Why are you so happy?" Sally laughed. "What happened?"

"Annabeth is coming to visit me in a couple of days," Percy squeaked. She then noticed the girly sound she made, and cleared her throat. "I mean, my dear friend is coming to visit me, and I am very excited."

Sally laughed at her daughters antics, but looked happy that her daughter's best friend was going to visit them. Annabeth was lovely, and the friendship she had with Percy was so pure and beautiful that Sally found herself glad they met.

"Oh, dear. That is so great. When is she coming?"

"I don't know, but she'll call me when she's near," Percy jumped up and down excitedly, making Sally chuckle again. "Oh gods, sorry, I fear I've been spending way too much time with Aphrodite girls. Not that there's anything wrong with squeaking and being girly excited, its just not my style."

Sally chukled fondly. "I know, dear. I know."

Percy took a deep breath, and sighed. "So yeah, I just wanted to let you know."

"Do you have nay idea of where to hang out with her?" Sally asked curiously. "I don't know if there are actual fun places around here."

Percy stopped at the staircase. She opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted when the door clicked open, and Paul returned.

He entered, looking both tired and worn out. He had a hard hay, but he managed to finish setting up his classroom. He now had the next day free to spend it with his family before starting to work.

"Hey, dear." he flashed a smile at Percy, and moved to kiss Sally. A kiss that lasted long enough to make Percy very uncomfortable.

The demigoddess grimaced, adding that to the list of things she never wanted to see her mother and stepfather doing, and went back upstairs.

She entered the music room again.

The first time she entered she had been too sleepy to remember the reasons why she never wanted to enter that room. But this time she was wide awake, and the memories of a golden studio in a golden temple in Olympus filled her.

In her memory, she was sitting in the seat of a piano, and a hand was tightly intertwined with her own while the other one was expertly playing a song.

The breeze had been soft and the music sounded breathtakingly beautiful. The room shinned with the golden light the god emanated. The demigoddess had a nice white Greek dress on, and her date was dressed in a similar Ancient Greek-y way.

Percy remembered how she had laid her head on his shoulder, mesmerised by the music, and he had stopped playing. He hadn't even cared she had interrupted him, he'd only smiled.

He had smiled that stunning smile of his, the one that always left Percy breathless, and kissed her tenderly.

He'd kissed her in a way that made her feel loved; in a way that made her feel like the most lucky girl in the whole wide world. In a way that made her believe that he loved her beyond his godly lust; it had made her believe he loved her for who she was.

She remembered the overwhelming feeling of happiness, and how perfect that evening had been. Everything had been good, they had been happily together, and Percy had felt complete.

But all of that was over.

Reality hit her, and she closed her eyes.

All that was over; she was empty inside now, and she would never hear his beautiful music, or see his gorgeous face, or hear his romance laced words. She would never feel his touch on her, and she would certainly never be loved by him anymore.

Her mouth tasted something salty, and she realised she was crying.

Apollo was in Olympus, probably enjoying his immortal life with some other woman. Percy was stuck in earth with broken dreams and a heart that craved him.

A heart that couldn't stop craving him and a head full of memories that refused to be forgotten.

" _I told you, Persephone. Gods are monsters,_ " Kronos said tauntingly.

Percy opened her eyes. Kronos stood in front of the piano, a mockingly pityful smile on Luke Castellan's lips. The urged to cry came back immediately when she saw the hallucination in front of her; she was too tired for that right now.

" _Apollo is probably the worst, huh? Made all those promises to you and broke every single one of them_." he clicked his tongue. " _Makes you want to_ destroy _him, doesn't it?"_

The demigoddes stared at him. "He is not a monster."

With that, she excited the music room. Kronos laughed, a loud trilling laught that made the hairs on Percy's arm stand. When she turned around, he was gone.

 **...**

 _Katherine Pierce stared at Damon Salvatore. The irritation on her eyes was clear, and it clouded her lust for him. Five seconds before that moment, they were about to have sex, when he decided to stop, and stare at her._

 _In that moment, she felt as if the man in front of her was no longer the vampire she heard he was, but the romantic and pathetic human he had been._

 _He stared right back at her, desperation on his eyes. The vulnerability of his feelings being way too clear for Katherine to observe. More than pathetic, it was sad._

 _"I have a question. Answer it, and it's back to fireworks and rocket's red glare. Answer it right, and...I'll forget the last 145 years I've spent missing you. I'll forget...how much I loved you. I'll forget everything and we can start over. This can be our defining moment, because we have time. That's the beauty of eternity..."_

 _Damon Salvatore's voice was full of hope and desperation._

 _For 145 years, he waited for her._

 _He waited to rescue her from the tomb, where he thought she was. When she wasn't there...it broke him. The little hope he had in him died, and he was left with his constant pain and anger. Then she came back. She came back and the hope came back with it._

 _He tried to hide it from his brother, but his love for her was strongest than his hate. All his human life, he despised Stefan for sharing Katherine with him. But now Stefan had Elena, and he could have Katherine._

 _They all could be happy. His feelings for Elena paled in comparison to what he felt for Katherine. If she loved him, he could finally be happy with the woman he loved._

 _If she told him she loved him...he was willing to forget everything, and have the future he always wanted to have with her._

 _The love he felt for her was still there, hidden behind his multiple layers of protection he had implanted on him._

 _He still loved her._

 _He approached, his once hard hands were very soft on her porcelain skin. Katherine's body was like stone under his touch, but Damon didn't noticed. He didn't noticed the pity on her eyes either._

 _He caressed her gently. "I just need to know the truth, just once—"_

 _"Stop," Katherine whispered. Damon's touch was too gentle for her, too soft. Under all her coldness, she felt sorry for him, and she was pained. She was pained for what she had done to him. She did to him the same they did to her... "I already know your question. And it's answer."_

 _Damon waited patiently for her, as he always did._

 _"The truth is..." Katherine continued. "I've never loved you. It was always Stefan."_

 _He was frozen, his hands at her face. His eyes were wide and full of emotion, resembling the human that still lived deep inside of him. His emotions way too clear for a vampire that claimed to have his humanity switch off._

 _The pain way too present in him._

 _Katherine removed his hands from her. No trace of emotion or regret on her face, only pity. She walked away, leaving a broken hearted Damon; a Damon with tears on his eyes, and pain on his heart._

 **...**

Percy Jackson woke with a start, her eyes wide and her heart thumping loudly on her chest.

Everything was in darkness, the only light being the little light that entered through the window.

She sat up slowly, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She was sleeping on the couch, her parents were upstairs, already asleep. It was late in the night, and what started like a peaceful sleep ended up being way much more.

This time, however, instead of having nightmares, she had a _demigod dream._

Demigods had the ability to have visions, not as powerful as the sons and daughters of Apollo, but it still counted. Usually, they had visions when involved in a mission, and they were always in the form of dreams.

Okay. Percy hadn't had a demigod dream in weeks, they ended for everyone when the Oracle of Delphi disappeared. But now...she just had one.

She saw the monster that lived in the same street as her.

In the dream, the monster looked more human than ever, for he asked for love.

Love. An emotion that no other monster ever wanted.

It made her even more confused. Instead of the demigoddess dream helping her discover what kind of monster he was, it confused her even more. No monster ever wanted love, nor was so gentle towards a mortal...unless that girl was a monster too.

But that wouldn't make sense. The only reason why Percy would have a demigoddess dream about someone was because she would be involved in something involving said person.

It was clear as a day to her, then, that if she was dreaming about him, her self-applied mission was to kill him. Destroy the monster that was invading Mystic Falls. _Protect the mortals._

She only had to discover why.

Why and what he was exactly.

Once she knew, she could destroy him.

The story of Damasen and Bob fled from her mind, and she forgot their importance and the lesson she learned from them.

But the most important thing she forgot, was that it was very highly probable that he wasn't the only monster in Mystic Falls. And monsters tended to protect each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer** : _I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Vampire Diaries. _

_English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes I might have._

 _ **Summary**_ : _Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two wars is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little does she know—Mystic Falls is a monster infected town. Will the saviour of Olympus be saved before it's too late, or will the darkness whitin her consume her? Will she fall in love again?_

 **...**

 **Chapter 5**

Sometimes Percy Jackson wondered if her fatal flaw was recklessness. Maybe, if one could have more than one, it would then be loyalty and recklessness. Her "official" fatal flaw, the one that she was completely sure, and the one everyone kept on mentioning, was loyalty.

But boy, did she made a lot of reckless decisions.

Sure, the forest surrounding her house seemed like an excellent place to train without being seen; it was vast and thick. Absolutely perfect to train. But maybe not in the middle of the night, after a nightmare, when her parents were sleeping.

It seemed like a good decision at first. She needed fresh air, and training always came in handy. But as she ventured the woods alone, she started to regret her decision. It was extremely late, and if something happened (for instance: monsters attacking), her parents would never know how she actually died.

After a moment of hesitation, Percy came to the startling realisation that she didn't really cared about that, not about dying and not about what her family would think.

Her mother would be heartbroken. Paul too. Poseidon? He would probably mourn her for some time and destroy cities in his anger, but with time, he would soon forget it. He was a god after all.

Gods excelled at forgetting mortals.

It scared Percy how sometimes she just felt like nothing really mattered anymore. Like nothing was worth her worry. But she forced herself to push those thoughts down—nothing was going to happen, she was simply going to train.

Train and nothing more.

When she left her house, she didn't bothered to change her pyjamas into formal clothes. She simply put her breastplate over her pyjamas, and left the house. The second she felt the cold breeze hit her skin, she shivered with delight.

Inside the house she had felt claustrophobic.

Her nightmares had come back after her demigod dream, and she feared that if she stayed more time inside those four walls, she might start seeing Kronos again. She thought a bit of fresh air would ease her nerves, and some good training always worked when she wanted to feel distracted for a while.

So she ventured the woods.

After a while she stopped venturing and decided to actually train.

She swirled the ballpoint pen she had been holding around her fingers before uncapping it. Immediately, the pen transformed into a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.

Percy swung Riptide around for a while, practicing the usual movements. When finished with them, she moved towards the trees.

Her friend, Grover, who was the Lord of the wilderness, would probably kill her if he knew she was going to practice with trees, but as long as she didn't managed to buy dummies or mannequins, the trees would have to do.

Besides, she wasn't going to hurt the trees to much—just a few scratches here and there.

"What did the poor trees do to you?" A slightly sarcastic voice called behind the demigoddess.

Percy turned around, almost beheading one of the only gods she could consider a friend. In front of her, a young man—physically in his twenties—with dark curly hair and sparkling blue eyes grinned down at her with his impish smile. He had a lithe body and was slightly taller than Percy.

For a second, she was stunned to see him there. A million thoughts ran through her head, questions about what was he doing there, the ever wonder if his visit was because he needed a favour, and then her joy after seeing him.

Had he been another god, Percy would've probably snapped. She had enough of gods and their problems, all she wanted was to be left alone, to be in peace and not to be dragged into any more godly messes.

But she couldn't find it in herself to be angry at the god in front of her. He'd done many things for her in the past, and she actually liked him.

They had history, alright.

"Hermes?" Percy grinned. "Hey, sorry for, uh, almost beheading you." She made Riptide turn back into a pen, and she shoved it down on her pockets. "At what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

She wasn't even being sarcastic.

Hermes chuckled. "Hey, buddy." He moved forwards, and wrapped the girl in a tight hug. The demigoddess was surprised, because it didn't mattered how close they were, or how friendly a god was with a mortal, they rarely hugged them.

They were more of a " _if I find you hot I'll fuck you senseless_ ", " _If I tolerate you I might be nice to you_ ", and " _if I dislike like you I will blast you to pieces_ ". They rarely ever hugged.

Percy wasn't going to complain. Hermes hugged her tightly, and it was, surprisingly, one of the best hugs she'd ever received; it felt sincere and comforting.

She pulled away, having a slightly suspicion as to why he was suddenly being all touchy with her. She swallowed, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. "You know?"

Hermes rose one eyebrow. "My dear young cousin, I know many, many things. But I don't have the slightest idea as to what you're talking about."

He obviously knew.

Probably all of Olympus knew by now that Percy wasn't fine after Tartarus. At least the only one to acknowledge it had been Hermes. It embarrassed her enough that some of her friends knew, it was enough with Apollo and Hermes knowing.

She didn't wanted anyone else to know.

Percy sighed. "How?"

Hermes gave her a gentle look. "Percy, do you remember the first time we met?"

The girl nodded. "In Camp Half-Blood. I broke curfew and was gazing the stars by the beach, you sat with me and we talked." She managed a smile. "You told me you invented the Internet. And George and Martha told me they liked rats."

Hermes felt his caduceus, which was disguised as a phone, vibrate almost happily. George and Martha seemed to be happy to be acknowledged. He chuckled softly. "Well, yes, I did say that. But what I meant to ask is if you remember what I told you. About family."

Of course she remembered. Hera erased her memory, but she remembered everything—ever since drinking that gorgon's blood. Besides, it had been years since that night, but his words left an impact on her.

Percy pursed her lips. "You told me to never give up on my family, no matter how tempting they make it. But what does it have to do with anything?"

"We are family, Percy. I care a great deal about you." It always amazed Percy the knowledge that such a powerful being as Hermes, a god, could actually be so friendly and could actually and sincerely care about her. "If I dare to say it, you're my friend. And I worry about you."

Percy's soft smile dropped slowly. The reason why none of her friends apart from Annabeth and Nico knew about her feelings was because she didn't wanted to bother them with her thoughts and her demons.

The only one apart from Nico and Annabeth who knew was Grover. Percy didn't had to tell him, he already knew. They had an empathy link, ever since she was twelve years old, and they still had it.

She had been so worried in Tartarus, because if she died...he would die too. The worst thing was that the moment they saw each other again, Percy saw in Grover's eyes all the pain and hurt she had been feeling.

All she felt, Grover also did.

And as horrible as it was, all the loneliness and brokenness Percy was feeling, Grover Underwood was feeling too.

It was kind of refreshing the thought of someone else, besides her closest friends, knowing that she was troubled. Hermes had actually took a moment of his very busy life to visit her and express his concern over her.

That meant a lot to Percy.

"No mortal has ever been in Tartarus and escaped before. Annabeth Chase, Nico di Angelo and you were the first. Tartarus is a place that is not meant for mortals—for Hades sake, it's not even meant for us gods." He winced. "I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling."

Percy swallowed. "I think you just did."

There was a small pause. Percy wouldn't meet his eyes, she was slightly uncomfortable; the memory of Tartarus always made her uncomfortable.

"My brother told me about the darkness," Hermes paused, giving the demigoddess in front of him a gentle look. "He is worried about you, and he begged me to check on you. That is another reason as to why I am here."

There it was, the revelation as to why he was actually there.

For a second, Percy didn't knew what to make of his confession. For all she knew, Apollo stopped caring for her, it made no sense as to why he would suddenly care and send Hermes to check on her.

And the fear of going dark. It was one thing that the gods knew she was slightly damaged after Tartarus, but Percy was more worried about them knowing she was having dark strikes. If they knew, they surely would put a stop to it in the only way they knew; killing her.

And while Percy was starting to get tired of her life, she certainly did not wanted to die by the hands of any god.

It was one thing to know that her death could be caused by a monster at any moment, but to be killed by gods was almost a pet peeve of hers. After all she's done to and for the gods, it seemed rather unfair that she died by their hands.

"Don't worry, no one else knows." Hermes assured her.

But for how long? For how long could they keep it a secret when the gods we aware of everything that happened?

She could've voiced all her doubts and all her worries, instead, what came out of her mouth was very different. "If Apollo cares so much, why isn't he here?"

She despised how bitter and cold her voice sounded. It was the voice of someone who just had her heart broken and was still bitter about it.

And that was so not her.

Meanwhile, Hermes' eyes grew wide.

After the war, Zeus had taken all his anger out on Apollo, all because he was the owner of the Oracle of Delphi. Apollo was still waiting his punishment, but they all knew it would end up being something extremely painful, for Zeus was still thinking about what to do to him.

Percy's question startled him. For all he knew, Percy was supposed to know the reason behind their breakup. Apparently, she did not.

"I'm not a good parent, buddy. I don't know how to deal with this...But I just want you to know that I'm here for you anytime you need me, and that I sincerely care."

Percy rose an eyebrow. She noticed how he changed the topic, but said nothing. It was better that way, anyway, the less she knew about Apollo, the less it would hurt her.

"You do?"

"Do you doubt me?"

"It's not the first time a god says he cares about me and it ended up being a lie."

Hermes frowned. "Apollo..." he stopped, it wasn't his job to try and defend his brother. Percy might not know the truth yet, but Apollo had really cared about her. He'd been sincere about his feelings all alone, but that wasn't Hermes bussiness, so he said nothing more.

Messing in another god's love affairs never ended well.

He could literaly feel Apollo's glare on him from Olympus, and he was surprised the god hadn't appeared and demanded to know what he was doing with Percy. Oh, his brother could be so possessive and jealous when he wanted to. Even more when it came to his girl.

Hermes sensed he had messed up, even though he didn't really said anything controversial. He cleared his throat, and decided to cut the crap and go directly to the point. He could feel his cellphone vibrating ever five seconds. He needed to go back to his work.

"Listen, I don't have much time now; I'm not supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be fetching Aphrodite's new wardrobe from Hephaestus' clothing department—"

"Hephaestus has a _clothing_ department?"

Hermes grimaced. "Not important right now. Listen my dear girl, I have some advice I think you might need. I sense some dangers lie ahead of your journey."

"Wow, I would've never guessed that. What made you think that? The fact that I'm a demigoddess? Or the fact that all my life has been a dangerous journey?"

More than a dangerous journey, her life often felt like a big practical joke.

Hermes was unfazed. "The fact that you're living in Mystic Falls is, of course, what gave it away. I'm afraid your dear mother and her husband choose very wrongly where to move. Mystic Falls is, probably, the worst choice they could've made, without counting New Orleans and Alaska."

As of Alaska, Percy knew why; It was a land beyond the gods' reach. As for New Orleans, she didn't knew anything, but didn't questioned the god.

"I've been sensing some things lately," Percy admitted, a frown marking her young face. "I've only been here for mere days and I already feel like this was a bad choice. All I can feel is monsters, everywhere, there's just this horrible...—" she struggled to find the correct words.

"Stench," Hermes provided, distaste on his voice. "That, my dear, is the stench of human monsters."

 _Human monsters_. Percy felt very uneasy. There was one thing to battle Roman and Greek monsters, but she hardly knew about human monsters. For all she knew, they could be more dangerous than the ones she've faced before.

And something told her she was going to face human monsters soon. With her demigod dream about Damon Salvatore, and the uneasy feeling she felt when she entered town, it was obvious.

"Artemis' book was right," Percy muttered, almost bitterly. It sparked Hermes curiosity. "There are monsters for humans."

"There are monsters for almost everything." Hermes sighed. "Oh, the problems...You see, the Mist doesn't really work for humans when it's about human monsters. They can see, and understand, the creatures that present themselves to them. We are very lucky, at least with our monsters we can apply the Mist and ease the minds of the poor mortals."

Hermes always cared about humanity, probably more than his whole family together. He was the god of many, many things, but what he liked most was travel and his work as messenger of the gods. He was usually always very involved in matters with mortals.

It gave him a headache the thought of not being able to help the mortals that encountered that specific kind of monsters.

"Are these monsters attracted to us? Can they sense demigods?"

"I wouldn't know," Hermes admitted, suddenly bashful. "I've never been too interested in them, my expertise are Greek monsters. Well, at least in this version of me it is."

Percy would've been confused, but she thought it had to do with the fact that as a god, he could change from Greek to Roman, he could choose who he wanted to be—Hermes or Mercury.

"I'm starting to believe they don't," Percy told him about her encounter with Damon Salvatore, and how he seemed to be oblivious to her state as a demigoddess. In the process, she told him about her demigod dream too.

Hermes was silent for a while.

"Does that mean I gotta get involved with it? Protect the mortals from him?"

Hermes looked down at her. "Demigods dreams can mean many things, Percy. It can simply be nature's way of giving you a little info as to what is happening here. Just as it could mean what you said, and that you have to protect the mortals. In all honestly, it all depends on how you interpret it."

"Just like prophecies." Percy shuddered.

"Exactly."

Percy frowned. Her demigod dream could mean anything then, she just had to discover what exactly it was trying to tell her.

They were in silence for a second, and she half feared that Hermes might disappear before all her doubts were answered, but he remained by her side, his eyes lost in the sky, gazing the constellations as if he were remembering who they were before being constellations.

Percy knew he probably was. _Andromeda, Hercules, Zoe Nightshade_...all those constellations were people before Artemis honoured them and made them constellations.

Another thought clouded her mind, making her frown.

"What's the deal with human monsters, anyway? How did they came to exist?"

Greek (and Roman) monsters had an explanation as to how they were "born" monsters, or cursed into becoming monsters. For example, the Minotaur, which had been born from a mortal queen and a bull; and Medusa, who was cursed by Athena and became a monster.

But Percy had no clue as to what or how were human monsters created.

She must've gotten distracted, because when she blinked back at Hermes, she found he was already talking.

"—that's the most horrible thing about these monsters. They used to be human once. It's pitiful, actually, how there are times when humans get so low and so filled with darkness that they stop being who they are, and become this...monsters."

Percy tensed slightly. "These monsters were humans once?"

"Most of them still are," Hermes sighed deeply, as if perturbed by that thought. "Their biggest weakness is, and shall ever be, their humanity. Most human monsters desire to be human again, to go back to who they once were. But once the darkness touches you, there's no going back."

His words, unknowingly, only made Persephone Jackson more tense than before. She was part human, and she had tasted the darkness—and as much as she feared it, she had liked it—, her mind clouded for a second, her fears overcoming her.

She had seen and heard of demigods all over the ages snapping and killing everything in sight. Part of her craved the feeling of power that she felt in Tartarus when she was fighting Misery, but she didn't wanted to become a monster.

What irony would that be...the heroine of Olympus turned into a monster.

He continued. "To answer your question more specifically, most humans become monsters via some spell or curse, others simply step into the darkness and become their own monsters."

Percy only swallowed once, her face once more an emotionless mask. Only her eyes betrayed her; bright sea green eyes that showed fear and worry.

There was a small pause where Percy forced herself to hide her worries, and Hermes simply stared at her, part of him worrying over her future in Mystic Falls.

"My advice for you is the following," Hermes spoke. "Don't get too involved with these monsters. They might seem like humans sometimes, but never forget that they are, in fact, monsters."

 **...**

Sally Jackson was making breakfast when she heard Percy yawning loudly in the living room.

"I told you not to stay awake too long," Sally called over her shoulder. "Couldn't you sleep?"

Percy mumbled something intelligibly from her spot on the couch. She had her eyes closed, but truth was, she couldn't sleep. She was simply resting, waiting until she would feel good enough to carry on her with her daily procrastinating.

The house was all set up now, and Percy found she had nothing to do. Her room was still under reparations, but Paul had promised that he would finish it all that day, thus leaving Percy without anything to do until the next day, when school started.

"What was that?" Paul chuckled, appearing besides Sally, wearing only pyjama pants and looking more asleep than awake. He quickly took the cup of coffee that his wife offered him. He looked back at his step-daughter, almost amused. "What's up with her?"

"Didn't sleep last night even thought I told her to sleep because today we go to the carnival," Sally's voice was almost exasperated. "I can bet my life on it."

Paul rose an eyebrow. "Mmm. Wouldn't be the first time she disobeys you, to be honest. Percy has never been good with authority, has she?"

"You guys know I can hear you perfectly, right?" Percy sounded exasperated, appearing in the kitchen behind them, the smell of freshly backed pancakes sparkling her interest. "And no, Paul, I don't dwell very well with authority, you can ask Zeus."

It was a perfect day outside, the sun shinned brightly and the sky was cloudless, but the second the demigoddess spoke the god's name with distaste, lightning crashed outside for a moment.

Her parents shared a concerned look, but Percy was unbothered by it. Zeus was a drama queen, or drama king, whatever, and she had learned to simply ignore his displays of anger or indignation, such as the lightning that shook the sky at her words.

"Love you too, uncle Z." Percy's voice was full of sarcasm, and she bit hard into her fork, shoving pancakes into her mouth almost angrily, and drowning the rest of her pancakes with lots of syrup.

Noticing that, Sally went back into the kitchen.

"Why did the poor pancakes did to you?" Paul mused, bemused.

"I'm not a morning person," Percy grumbled, shoving more food in her mouth. "And last night I couldn't sleep—at all."

Sally reappeared besides them, a new plate of pancakes on her hands, and sat in the table with her husband and daughter. Immediately, her daughter took more.

"What, or who, put you in such a bad mood?" Sally rose an eyebrow. "You seemed pretty happy yesterday."

Percy winced discretely. She couldn't remember the last time she had been actually happy. But it was better that her mother thought she was.

"I just...I couldn't sleep last night," the demigoddess decided to say the truth for once. "And then Hermes came to visit me, and we talked for a while, but I guess it must've been pretty late because I'm very tired."

"Hermes?" Paul widened his eyes. "The god Hermes? What was he doing here?"

"Technically he wasn't here..." Percy changed her mind, it wouldn't ease them the knowledge that she had been in the woods late at night. "Never-mind. He just...came to say hi."

Sally's eyes suddenly sank, and she lowered her glass very slowly towards the table. She had been extremely worried for her daughter ever since she discovered she had been dating a Greek god. Percy was currently trying to get over him, but it wasn't easy.

Sally knew it better than anyone.

She had fallen hard for Poseidon, and forgetting him had been pure hell for her. Percy had fallen even harder for Apollo, and they had been together more time than Sally and Poseidon had.

She knew it would be very hard for Percy to get over Apollo.

"That's very nice of him," Paul stressed, looking interested. He thought gods were cruel and didn't really cared much about mortals. He wasn't completely wrong. "Is he a friend of yours?"

Percy grinned. "Yeah, he is. He's always been very nice with me, and he's helped me multiple times over the course of the years. He's great actually."

The thought of another Greek god interested in Percy made Sally squeamish. She didn't wanted her daughter having another affair with a god; it was a surprise that she hadn't gotten herself pregnant while dating Apollo. Sally didn't wanted Percy to tempt the fates with another god.

"Is he..." Sally stopped herself. "Percy, dear, are you dating Hermes now?"

Paul winced.

Percy froze, her fork halfway in the air, close to her mouth. She put the fork down, and stared at her mother. Her sea green eyes raged with the force of the sea itself, making Paul look away uncomfortably, and Sally realise her mistake.

Percy had never looked at Sally like that. She loved her more than anyone else in the world, but at her bold question she couldn't help it.

"No, mother." her voice was hard as steel and colder than the Antarctic ocean. "I wouldn't date brothers. I'm not going to pull a Cyrene on them." At the end she managed to make her voice sound light and unbothered, and she even managed to force a smile at them. "I'm not that kind of girl."

Paul winced again. _How could she change her moods so drastically quick?_

"Cyrene?" he mouthed to Sally, who waved him off.

"I'm sorry dear, but you have to realise I'm just worried for you," Sally admitted gently, making Percy's anger dissipate completely. "I didn't meant to offend you."

"It's okay, mom. I apologise too, I shouldn't have, you know, glared at you and all. It's just that it's...a touchy subject."

It really was.

"I get it, sweetheart, I really do." Sally confessed, making Paul look away. "Anyhow, it's completely alright," She moved towards Percy and kissed her forehead, taking the plate of pancakes away from her. "Do it again and I'll ground you."

Paul smirked behind his coffee.

Percy gaped at her mother, but eventually a sly grin made its way on her face at her mother's attitude.

"My, my, Sally...You make me all tingly when you take control like that," Paul teased Sally, smirking at her as Sally winked at him almost seductively, walking towards him and kissing him on the mouth.

Percy did the most mature thing ever; she gagged at them, shuddering violently. She was nowhere near innocent, but she never wanted to see her parents like that.

"And that's my cue to leave."

Sally and Paul smiled against each others lips, giggling like honeymooners, and as Percy left the room, they kissed again.

 **...**

The hours went by agonisingly slow. Paul had almost finished with Percy's room, and she was silently helping him in all she could, while Sally was in the bathroom getting ready for the carnival.

Percy knew she should get ready too, but she really wanted her room to be finished before school started, as much as she couldn't really sleep, it was hurting her back to rest on the couch at nights. So she stayed helping Paul.

Her stepfather was telling her about one of his adventures at his college form when he was younger, and Percy found herself more amused than she'd been in long time. Paul wasn't only handsome and smart, but he had had a rebel side when in college.

They were interrupted by a knock on the front door. Percy frowned, listening to see if her mother was still in the shower. She was.

Paul moved to get it, but Percy beat him to it. "I'll go get it, you keep working."

Percy descended the stairs with curiosity. Maybe it was another neighbour wanting to introduce themselves to her, but to be honest, the closest house seemed to be Damon's, and he'd already introduced himself to her.

Maybe it was Damon's brother.

Just in case, she reached for Riptide, cursing herself when she remembered she was still wearing her pyjamas, and her pyjama pants didn't had pockets.

Riptide was still in the couch.

She sighed irritably, but decided against the thought of getting it. She moved towards the door, and swung it open.

Outside, Damon stood, dressed in heavy amounts of black and leather. Just as before, a very forced smile appeared on his face when he saw her.

"Hey..." his eyes trailed down her body, amusement on his features.

Percy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. So it was nearly sundown already and she was still on her pyjamas. So what?

"What do you want?" she demanded.

Guilt overcome her once she remembered the dream she had about him and that brunette. Suddenly, she couldn't see the overconfident monster in front of her, but a man with a broken heart, just like her.

She scoffed at herself, trying to forget the vision she had of his broken-hearted expression and how his eyes had taken a vulnerable look, tears on them...Oh, fuck. Now she was feeling bad for a monster. Great.

"Feisty," Damon rose his eyebrows, amused. "I'm gonna be an optimist and think that that's your way of being friendly."

Percy pursed her lips. Without meaning it, she spoke softly to him. "What do you want?"

"Oh I want many things," he waved a hand around distractedly. He then gave her another of his forced smiles. "But right now what I mostly want is to take a hot girl for a ride at the local carnival. I assume you know about the carnival?"

Percy rose an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to go with you?"

"Depends. Is your answer yes?" Damon challenged, a troublesome smirk on his lips. His whole body screaming seduction. Usually to get what he wanted, his charm worked miracles, even more than his compulsion sometimes. But with that girl he was starting to notice that it had no effect.

Percy scoffed loudly this time. "Why would you want to take me to the carnival? We've hardly know each other. I might be a crazy bitch for all you know." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Are you?" Damon rose an eyebrow.

Percy found herself amused despite herself. "No."

"Perfect!" Damon spread his arms, another forced grin on his face. "With that settled, I'll come pick you up in an hour." He moved to leave, but Percy emerged, stepping out of the house and into the porch, making him stop and look back at her, a gleam on his eyes.

"I never said yes," Percy pointed out.

"You never said no," Damon shrugged. Percy frowned at that logic. He turned completely towards her, and gave her a look that was almost sheepish, one hand going to the bridge of his nose. "Bad choice of words. Sorry. Please?" His voice was almost soft at the end.

Percy was surprised at that. Did he just...did he just really said please?

She had never encountered a monster like that. All the monsters she encountered we're direct to the point, none of them ever were mildly polite, or even talkative.

And Damon Salvatore was.

Why?

Why was a monster so keen on taking her out if he didn't knew what she was?

It made no sense.

Damon saw the concussion on her eyes, and he sighed exasperatedly. "Look, don't read too much into this. You're a pretty girl, I _like_ pretty girls. And I could use a distraction," he admitted at last, not seeing a reason to lie. "You're new in town, and in this moment you are the most interesting thing in town."

More like the only thing that he thought could be normal.

It was excruciatingly refreshing the thought of someone normal in town.

 _A good distraction_. Percy remembered her vision again, and softened a little bit despite herself. Of course he wanted a distraction, the girl he loved just told him she loved her brother and not him. Anyone would want a distraction—monster or not.

She was filled with something deeper than pity—sympathy—she could relate to how he was feeling.

"I'm not ready to date," Percy warned him. "It's not going to be a date, and I'm not going to hook up with you. If you take me out it's going to be completely platonic, understand?"

She had a powerful glare, Damon had to admit. "Percy, we've just met. Do you believe so low of me already?" there was a teasing edge on his voice.

"Lets just say I know your type." Percy muttered dryly, her eyes still hard. Damon resembled the smug bastards from cabin 5 in Camp Half-Blood. "Come pick me up in an hour. I have to get ready."

With that she turned around, and entered the house, slamming the door behind her back.

Damon stared at the place where she had just been, something dark on his eyes as he then turned and blurred back to his house. Unknown to him, Percy had been watching from the window, and saw his incredibly fast movement.

She sucked in a gasp despite herself.

"Percy? What on Earth are you doing?" Sally questioned, hands on her hips. Her daughter jumped, her head colliding with the window. Sally winced, and Percy rubbed her head with a grimace.

"Nothing," she turned towards her mother, and smiled. Her mother had dressed up nicely, with a yellow summer dress, her brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Her blue eyes were shining, and she looked younger than ever. "Aw, you look very pretty, mom!"

Sally grinned widely, pleased with herself. "Thank you, dear. Now, why aren't you ready yet? And who was at the door?"

"Damon Salvatore," Percy pursed her lips. "He came to invite me to the carnival. Of course, at first I said no because it was supposed to be our family day together, but he was insisting and insisting, so I ended up saying yes."

Her sympathy would be the end of her, Sally thought with a sigh.

"You know you don't have to accept to something if you don't want to, right?" Sally crossed her arms, an annoyed look on her eyes. "Never."

"I know. No one forces me to do anything," Percy told her seriously. "No one. However, I figured he would leave me alone after today, so...I'm going with Damon to the carnival." She made a very fake sound of enthusiasm, making her mother frown.

"Well then, I guess we'll see each other there. I'll be heading out with Paul soon, he's getting ready now. You're room's all set now."

 **...**

Percy was ready rather quickly. She decided to dress simply, for it was only a carnival and nothing important. She wore jeans, a blue blouse accompanied by a black jacket and ankle high boots. She wore no makeup, and she let her hair down.

When she thought she was ready she left the house, being careful to lock the door as she sat in the porch, waiting for Damon. No longer than a minute passed when a blue 1969 Chevy Camaro came to a stop in front of her house, it's roof down.

Damon threw her a smirk. She walked towards the car, an amused grin appearing on her face.

"I dig your style, Salvatore. I really do..." Percy admitted. She quickly entered the car, as Damon's smirk turned almost proud.

They drove away, Percy ignoring her beating heart and the impulses she was feeling; she just wanted to jump him and stick Riptide on his chest until he was ashes.

It was getting harder and harder to control her emotions lately.

"You like cars?" Damon rose an eyebrow. "Never would've pegged a girl like you to like things like that."

"A girl like me?" Percy repeated, snorting. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Well..." Damon waved a hand distractedly. "You know, pretty and shallow. Like a blonde girl but with black hair, all about looks and popularity and all that teen drama." He looked at her momentarily, already forming an opinion on her based on her looks. "You."

Percy couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. "You don't know me. For starters, I don't do teen drama. I don't have time for that. I can care less about popularity, and blonde girls aren't dumb." She thought back to Annabeth, who would've kicked his ass after that comment.

"True, I don't know you," Damon forced another smile. "I aim to change that before tonight ends."

Percy rose an eyebrow, but decided against saying anything else about the matter. For a moment, they were in silence. Before it could get awkward, Percy spoke again. "Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a sweet, sweet guy searching for love in this cruel, cruel world. I'm a Cancer, I love puppies and kittens and I have a brother who is a complete pain in the ass." He gave her a sarcastic grin. "What about you?"

"All that came out of your mouth are lies," Percy snorted, deeply amused.

"Ah, ah, ah," Damon gave her a mock reprimanding look, the corner of his lips curling up. "Not all of it, I'm a Cancer, and I have a brother. Besides, who doesn't find kittens adorable?" he smirked at her. "Now your turn, go."

"Well, I'm a Leo, I don't care about love at all, I have a little brother whom I love, I have a pet hellhound and I love secrets."

"Ding, ding, ding, ding! And we have another liar."

"You started it," she shrugged. "Besides, not all of those were lies."

Damon waited for a moment, and when she didn't elaborated, he turned to look at her, the question written on his icy eyes.

"You'll have to discover them on your own," Percy winked at him. Only two of those things were lies, but it was up to Damon to discover them.

"Oh, I will," Damon promised, a grin on his face. Percy grinned back, liking his attitude, forgetting for a second that he was a monster. Something crossed Damon's eyes, and he remembered something. "I saw you last night, dressed all geeky-like and hitting trees with a sword."

Percy tensed slightly. "You did?"

"Yeah, but don't worry, geeky girls are adorable," Damon gave her a teasing look. "Which character were you playing as?"

"No one, I'm not geeky, not completely," Percy half shrugged. "I actually know how to manage a sword, I learned in my old camp, and last night I was just practicing. The breastplate was for safety."

"What kind of Camp teaches teenagers to handle swords?"

Amusement crossed Percy's eyes. "You'd be surprised if you knew how many camps do that."

Damon hummed. "What made you move from New York to Mystic Falls? Surely New York is way better than this place."

"I don't really get to decide if we move or not. I'm only seventeen, and my stepfather was offered a job here, so he was moving here with my mother. I guess I could've stayed with a friend, or in Camp, but..." Percy shrugged, only half conscious that she was sharing something personal with a monster. "...I missed my family."

"I know the feeling." Damon nodded briefly. "I left this place a long time ago, but when I heard my brother was back here, I came back. Someone has to take care of him."

"How old are you?" Percy interrupted him, a frown on her face.

"I'm twenty five. My little brother is seventeen, so I had to look out for him. I'm his legal guardian since our parents are long gone." Damon explained distractedly. "What about you? You said you have a little brother, but no one else lives in your house but your parents and you."

"Half-brother," she explained. "He lives with our father. And I see you guessed which of the things I said are real and which are the lies."

"I have the slightest idea," Damon confessed. "Let's see...the brother one I already guessed right. The pet hellhound is obviously a lie," he missed Percy's smirk. "Which leaves me the secrets and the love one." He eyed her up and down. "Are you asexual, or aromatic?"

"I had a boyfriend until a month ago, and I was in love. That answers you question?" Percy was visibly uncomfortable.

"I've been in love. It's painful, pointless and overrated."

"It's not if it's with the right person," Percy corrected him.

Damon looked at her briefly, a curious look on his eyes. Percy seemed interested as they reached Mystic Falls High School, where the carnival was taking place at. "We're here."

Percy stared around as they exited the car. Damon was at her side in a second, offering her his arm. She hesitated, something he noticed, but ended up accepting his arm.

"My parents are here," Percy motioned around, grimacing at how full it was. "Um, somewhere, I guess."

"Aren't you a bit too old for the school carnival, Damon?" a voice called behind them. As they turned, Percy saw a cute boy her age with brown hair and forest green eyes. He was slightly taller than Damon, being about Percy's heigh.

She stiffened as he came closer to them.

Another monster.

"Aren't you too young to be alone without supervision?" Damon shoot back, crossing his arms over his chest. He saw Stefan looking at the girl at his side, almost worriedly, and he rolled his eyes. "Stefan, this is Percy Jackson, our new neighbour. Percy, this is my little brother Stefan."

"The pain in the ass," Percy quoted Damon, eyebrows rising. Stefan looked at his brother, who mouthed a "guilty" without looking ashamed.

"Not exactly how I like to be introduced as," Stefan pursed his lips at his brother, but smiled politely at the girl. "Pleasure to meet you, Percy. Welcome to Mystic Falls."

"Thanks," Percy shook his hand, forcing herself not to overreact at the sudden rush of adrenaline she felt having two monsters around her. All she wanted to do was take out Riptide and slash their throats.

Stefan looked back at his brother, then at Percy, seemingly concerned and worried about something. His eyes were reprimanding his big brother, something that Percy noticed and stored into her memory. It continued for a moment before Damon rolled his eyes.

"You see, Percy, my dear brother here is worried I'm going to _explode_ because someone that we both hate is back in town. He told me to get a distraction and obsess over something else than her," Damon rolled his eyes, a very forced smile on his lips as he explained. "Now he's worried I'm obsessing over _you_."

Percy tensed inmediately, one hand twitching against her pocket.

"Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private," Stefan gave his brother a pointed look.

Percy pursed her lips. "I'll leave you two alone." She moved to go, not wanting to be envolved in any family drama between both brothers. She had enough family drama in her godly family, she did not wanted to be involved in monster-family drama too.

"There's no need," Damon stopped her. "There's nothing to discuss. I have other things to do like, explode."

He dragged her away, occasionally pointing to random tents and games and showing them to her. Percy stored away what she knew of the monster brothers in her memory, thinking of what she could do with what she knows.

She was nowhere near close to knowing what they were.

"So who are you obsessing over now, if not that girl that you both hate," Percy kept her voice neutral. She waited for his reaction, wondering if he would get angry and show a glimpse of his true self.

He did not. "You see those two over there?" He pointed towards a bunch of people, a young boy her age was in a wrestling competition as an older man watched them and cheered for the boy. "Tyler and Mason Lockwood."

"Okay. I see them, what about them?"

Stefan joined them, crossing his arm over his chest as Percy looked at him briefly before looking back at the Lockwood boys. "You're lurking," Stefan told his brother.

Damon gave his brother a look that said he disagreed with him. "Observing."

"More like obsessing." Stefan scoffed. However, he too watched Tyler and Mason. Percy rose her eyebrows, wondering what could be so important about the Lockwood's that two monsters were lurking at them.

The kid Tyler won against the guy he was wrestling.

"He's got strength," Damon pointed out.

Stefan shrugged. "He's a triple letter varsity athlete, of course he has strength. You're reaching."

Percy ignored them for a second, watching as Mason Lockwood moved and challenged his nephew. She caught a glimpse of his face, he was handsome in a way, she thought. But she stiffened the second she caught a glimpse of his scent as he walked.

He was a monster too.

His _stench_ , as Hermes had so kindly worded, was way more different than the stench of the Salvatore brothers, but still very monster like.

 _...Oh great_ , she thought sarcastically. _Now I'm like a human detector of monsters._

She never could identify someone so easily, never. Now she smelled them. Holy crap she was a whole new lever of fucked up.

"—This is ridiculous." Stefan sighed.

Percy recovered herself. "Yet you're watching."

Mason won easily. Tyler looked constipated, but looked around. "All right, he's the champ. Who wants to go next?"

"Stefan wants to go next," Damon called from his place.

Percy looked at Stefan, only to find him unfazed by his brother's words. "Thanks." He told his brother sarcastically. "Yeah, sure, I'll...give it a shot." He joined Mason at the table. "My brother over there thinks I can beat you."

"Your brother's wrong."

"Kind of arrogant," Percy rose an eyebrow. She watched as Mason quickly won against Stefan. "But he's right."

So whatever kind of monster Mason Lockwood was, it was one that was slightly stronger than the kind of monsters Stefan and Damon were.

"You didn't put in any effort at all." Damon glared at his brother, clearly annoyed.

Stefan grimaced. "Yeah, actually I did."

Surprise flashed on Damon's face. "Come with me..." He stopped, looking at Percy, who rose an eyebrow at them. "I'll be right back."

Percy nodded distractedly. As they left, she turned back to watch the Lockwood's for a moment. She watched intently as the oldest Lockwood beat every guy who tried to wrestle him. He might've senses her eyes on him, because he looked up and locked eyes with her.

He smiled politely.

Percy didn't.

 **...**

As the Salvatore brothers disappeared, Percy made her way around, observing the school grounds and playing some games alone before finding her parents. Paul was showing Sally around distractedly, telling her about the classes and his job.

"Hey," Percy appeared at their side, making them jump.

"Percy, now that you're here, would you like to have a tour of the school?" Paul asked gently. "That way you won't be so lost tomorrow."

At the reminder of school starting the next day, she grimaced. Her stepfather showed her and Sally around school, showing her where the classrooms were, and where the central office was.

"It's a little school," Percy noticed.

"You've been all your life in private schools," Sally reminded her. "Those were bigger." She saw the rusty locks of the classrooms, and grimaced. "And _safer_ , but this one will do."

Percy sighed.

She had really liked Goode School, where she studied before and where Paul used to work at. She had been suspended from school for missing nine months, and Paul had been transferred, so either way she was bound to change schools.

"If you ever need anything you know you can always come to me, even if I'm in class." Paul told her as they walked away from the halls and into the yard.

Percy nodded, distractedly.

They walked towards the water games, a big wide grin appearing on Percy's face as she understood her parents intentions. Paul grabbed one water gun and Sally did too, both of them grinning at Percy, who joined them immediately.

She grinned too. "Ready to lose magnificently?"

Paul smirked. "You wish."

But one should never bet against a Poseidon's daughter when water was involved.

 **...**

For the rest of the night, Percy had fun with her family. For a couple of hours, nothing else mattered. No monsters, no demons, nothing. She was able to ignore everything bothering her and enjoy a night together with her family.

"Ah, it's late..." Paul sighed. "We have school tomorrow. We should leave."

Sally seemed to remember then that her daughter had gotten herself there with their neighbour and not with them. "Dear, where's Damon? Don't tell me you managed to scare him so quickly."

Percy pursed her lips, looking around.

Her responsibilities came back, and she remembered the three monsters lurking around. "I don't know where he is, to be honest. But I should probably look for him, can't ditch him any longer. See you in the house?"

"Actually, we thought about heading to the Grill for dinner." Paul wrapped an arm around Sally's shoulder. "If that boy you came with is not taking you anywhere else, you know where to find us."

She nodded, and they parted ways.

Percy searched for a while, frowning when she realised she had no idea where he might be.

"Oh, come on..." she sighed exasperatedly. "I'm supposed to be a human detector of monsters, why can't I find just one stupid monster."

As always, that was probably the worst thing to say.

A scream cut the air, making the hair on Percy's neck stand. She quickly run towards the scream, pushing roughly the mortals who were unbothered by the scream. She quickly came to a stop behind a dumpster, stopping at the scene in front of her.

Stefan was half dragging a beautiful blonde girl with blood all over her mouth, who was hysterically pointing at a skinny girl with olive skin and brown hair—the girl from the vision—, Damon was there too, holding something that seemed to be a wooden stake.

At their feet, Percy saw a corpse. She stiffened immediately. The blonde girl couldn't look at the corpse for longer than a second, and judging by the blood across her face, she had been the one to kill her.

Percy didn't need her powers to know she was a monster too. She forced herself to hide a little more behind the dumpster, not wanting them to see her yet.

"It's okay Caroline, come with me." Stefan spoke gently and calm to the blonde girl, a voice no monster ever took after one of their own killed someone else.

"She will die, it's only a matter of time." Damon snapped at him.

"Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight."

"Oh yeah it is." He rushed towards them with inhuman speed, stake ready to stab the blonde girl, but the brunette stepped in front of the blonde one. Damon's stake almost touching her heart.

He stopped.

"Damon, she's my friend."

Percy rose an eyebrow. He cared about her even after she broke his heart, he was stopping himself from ripping her apart and killing Caroline, just because she was in the middle. _That_ could be used against him.

Damon hesitated, staring at the brunette, his face unreadable form Percy's spot behind the dumpster. "Whatever happens, it's on you." he warned her darkly, moving away and disappearing.

A dark skinned girl appeared, making Percy shift uncomfortably at the feeling she emanated, a feeling she could finally recognise.

A witch.

"Caroline?" the witch seemed shocked. "No, you're not; you can't be." She quickly made her way towards Caroline, who stared at her unblinking. The witch touched the blonde girl, and horror crossed her eyes, as if she could sense what she was with just one touch.

"Bonnie?" the blonde monster seemed almost desperate for her friend to react differently.

The witch, Bonnie, grabbed a truck close to her for support as she looked overwhelmed and horrified. The blonde monster, Caroline, was quickly dragged away by Stefan.

Percy followed them with her eyes, her hand twitching more and more towards her pocket jean, Riptide almost screaming at her to get it over with and kill them. But she stopped herself. She could take them all, three monsters, a witch and a mortal...

She _really_ could.

But something stopped her. Something nagged at her, almost annoyingly. She realised then that part of her didn't wanted to fight, and that part was almost as strong as the part that craved to kill them.

Damon reappeared, a shovel in his hands. "Oh, come on, don't pout about it. I got a body to bury." He looked at the brunette, who stared at him, almost glaring at him. "I thought you were calling the shots. No? Hm, it sucks to be you, buddy."

His words angered the witch. She stared at him, and he suddenly groaned, falling to the ground clutching his head in pain. She opened a faucet with her powers and water starts coming out.

Percy frowned. _What the Hades was that witch doing now?_

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Her voice was scarily calm, but her eyes were on fire.

"I didn't do this." Damon rasped from his place, still hissing and gasping in pain at whatever she was doing.

The brunette girl was quick to try and defend him. "Bonnie, it wasn't his fault."

"Everything that happens is his fault, Elena." Bonnie snapped. The water dripping from the faucet started to become fire, making Percy stifle a gasp.

The fire approached Damon, and engulfed him in one quick gulp. He started screaming and trying to put the fire out, but the witch wouldn't let him, her eyes glazed over as she kept chanting and chanting under her breath.

"Bonnie, what are you doing? Stop it! Stop it! You're going to kill him!"

The brunette seemed rather desperate, but she wasn't doing anything to stop her witch friend.

Percy frowned darkly for a moment, and made her mind. She jumped out of her hiding place, one hand extended towards Damon as she willed the remaining water in the tunnels to envelop Damon and put the flames out.

"Because this isn't us. Bonnie, this can't be us."

Percy looked back, seeing how in that exact same moment, the brunette had jumped and grabbed the witch's shoulders. For them both, it was the brunette who caused the flames to go out when she grabbed the witch shoulders.

Percy remained hidden again until they both left.

Damon was groaning in pain, trying to stand but being too hurt to actually move. Percy walked towards him, slowly and deliberately making sound. She had her hands on her jacket pockets, giving an almost nonchalant look.

He groaned when he saw her, as if the last thing he wanted, or needed, was her there.

"She got you good," Percy noticed, looking how he still couldn't stand, or move at all. A little flame by his feet got her attention, and she rose an elegant eyebrow. "Oh, I _hate_ witches." And she moved her hand out of her picket, lazily moving it over the fire, willing water to appear and overcome the flame.

Damon let out what could've been a gasp or a groan, she wasn't sure which it was.

"Now, as for you..." Percy turned towards him, her eyes stoic and cold. She looked like the sea before a storm, calm and collected, and about to explode. "I want answers, and you're gonna give them to me."

"What are you?" Damon snarled at her, suddenly regaining his force and jumping on her, throwing her against the dumpster and pinning her there. Black little veins appeared under his eyes, which were now a deep crimson colour. He barred his teeth at her, showing off his fangs.

Percy forced herself to hid her surprise. "I was going to ask you the same, but I already have my answer."

 _A vampire_. Not an _empousa_ , a real vampire.

Damon snarled.

He tightened his hold on her neck, cutting her air. She grabbed his hands, making him think she wanted to take them off. Instead, she used the impulse to throw herself to the floor, taking Damon with her, who grunted in pain as his already hurt bones hit the asphalt with such force that he stood frozen for a second.

She towered over him. He snarled again, but her feet collided with his side before he could move. He groaned in pain as she hit him again, this time harder.

Percy caressed her bruised neck, fire on her sea green eyes. "I saved your life, asshole. The least I deserve is a little respect, don't you think?" He moved to attack, but Percy blocked him easily, throwing him back into the ground.

"What are you?" Damon snapped again.

Percy was tired of his questions. She rolled her eyes and moved away. As she was leaving, she turned her head briefly to tell Damon. "I'll watch my back if I were you, Mr. Salvatore."

"Is that a threat?" Damon's face was back to normal, but his mouth was curled into a snarl, his eyes full of hate and coldness. He had liked that girl, she seemed funny and distracting, but now he wasn't in the mood for more threats. "Are you threatening me?"

Something dark gleamed in Percy's eyes, her mouth curling into a snarl too. She forced herself to gain control. She turned briefly towards him, forcing her voice to sound smooth and calm.

"Let me be clear about something, Damon. If you weren't a monster, I probably would've befriended you. In this moment, all I want to do is kill you. But, however, I don't want problems." Percy half shrugged. "I'm willing to ignore this," she gestured to her bruised neck. "And do as if I've never saw you shift into a monster."

"How generous of you," Damon said sarcastically. "And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that my brother is also a vampire and he would kill you for killing me."

Percy chuckled. "Believe me, I can take you, your brother, and that blonde chick without blinking. I have my reasons, accept them without questions." She paused, and said honestly, "I really _don't_ want problems."

"Move back to New York," Damon suggested. "Leave my town and never come back."

Percy smiled at him, but it didn't reached her eyes. "If you ever touch me, or any mortal for what matters," She looked at the corpse of the man the blonde vampire killed. "I _will_ kill you."

She didn't knew if she was making an error letting him live, but she still had questions, and he was probably the only one that could answer them. It was a reckless decision, but he would live, for now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _I dont own Percy Jackson & The Olympians nor Vampire Diaries. _

English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes I might have.

(All commments were answered via message, but since these two are on guest...

 **Guest #1:** _I'm very happy you like this story! I know, it's never been canonically said, but it's very implied that demigods have superior strength and powers, so yeah, stronger than vampires. I'm very happy you liked it! Thank you for reviewing! I'll update soon._

 **Guest#2:** _I'm very happy you like this story! I'm yet to decide, but it's been in my mind a lot that idea, yes. Percy and Apollo together are one of my favorite couples, but I'm yet to decide. Mhm, there is a good reason for their breakup. And I know! Together they would be the most badass couple ever. I'm glad you liked it! I'll update soon, thank you for reviewing!_

* * *

 **...**

 **Chapter 6**

 **...**

Mystic Falls High School was one of the most boring schools Percy had the displeasure of studying in. Over the course of the years, the young demigoddess had assisted probably more than a hundred schools, and yet this school seemed to be the worst.

Not only were the classrooms small and the teachers grumpy, but there was the everlasting feeling of monsters.

Of course, Percy was used to her paranoia and the _Post-Tartarus syndrome_ , but she was starting to get tired of it. The only place where she could feel calm was her house. Everywhere else felt so awfully monstrous that she would get a rush of adrenaline immediately.

And she hated it.

Her body felt as if in over-drive.

"I'm supposed to lead a normal life," She complained the night before to her friend Nico, who had decided to give her a call to see how she was doing. "It's all I wish, just one semester- just one!- without having to deal with monsters."

Nico had raised an eyebrow at her, his face as sculpted and serious as always. He eyed the spawn of his uncle Poseidon with curiosity and a peck of sympathy.

"You never voiced your thoughts to me like that before," He pointed out. "I always thought you liked the hunt, that you liked to kill monsters. After all you always smile when..." He trailed off at the mortified look on her face.

Percy always smiled when killing a monster.

It was different, discerning and feral. It was a crooked grin, as most of her smiles were, but it was too wide and too feral. It was often followed by a broken glint on her eyes and a harsh bark of laughter. It held the power of a hurricane. It's the cruelty of a predator toying with its prey...

It started right after Tartarus, and now she can't seem to stop.

"We never were this close before," Percy said softly, giving him a warm smile that didn't reached her eyes. There was still guilt on them. Guilt over everything that little boy had to go through and guilt over how much she made him suffer. "I know what I'm asking is impossible, being a demigod is dangerous."

"It's a curse," Nico nodded, looking away from the Iris Message for a moment. When he looked back, he seemed curious somehow. "Why did you attacked that vampire if you wanted peace?"

She wondered the same thing.

At first, she used the excuse that she thought it was her mission to get rid of the monsters because of her demigod dream. But that excuse got old very quickly; Nico was incredibly smart and he knew better. Besides, Hermes was right- demigods dreams could mean _many_ things.

"I just felt like it." She fought to explain herself, to ignore the reproaching look she knew Nico would take at her words. She was impulsive, she'd always been. "It's complicated. This feeling is...it's like..."

He understood inmediately. "You wanted to kill them. You craved it, the feeling, didn't you?"

"Nico..." Percy swallowed thickly. "Don't tell anyone, please. It's enough that I'm turning into this monster-detecting machine, I don't need my friends to know that I'm turning into some sort of Orion now."

Nico scowled.

"You're not turning into Orion, Percy. You have to remember these monsters are far more different from the monsters you're used to. Maybe it's an effect they have on our kind."

Percy stayed silent for a moment, processing his words. The green-eyed demigoddess knew he was just trying to make her feel better, but his words had some logic. Maybe it wasn't her, maybe it was just some sort of effect those monsters had...

"Besides, wasn't Orion cursed to feel like that? Didn't Gaea killed him?"

The demigoddess shook her head furiously. She never knew much about Orion, to be completely honest, but she knew the real story behind his death.

"No. He killed because he liked to. And it wasn't Gaea who killed him, it was Apollo."

Nico paused briefly. "Oh." He looked away, but then continued. "What are you going to do now? You discovered yourself to them. They know you're not human. They're not going to stop until they kill you."

Percy was unconcerned by this. All her life she'd fought all kind of monsters- titans, gods, giants, spawn of Tartarus itself...The demigoddess wasn't scared of vampires. They were strong, she had to give them that, but their strength was nothing compared to everything else she'd fought.

She hadn't been lying when she told Damon that she could take them all without breaking a sweat.

What really worried her was the thought of being dragged into their shit. She fought her own battles multiple times already, she didn't wanted to get involved in something that has nothing to do with her once again. If they killed mortals...well, that Percy couldn't stand, but everything else? Fuck it, it's not her business.

They could kill themselves for all she cared.

"Don't worry about that."

Percy had to learn to control her urges, and she knew it. She had to take control of her impulses and think clearly. The demigoddess really wanted peace, and the only way she would get it was staying away from them.

...or killing them. But killing them all would involve in a mini war between the remaining vampires.

And that would be _exhausting_.

She would protect the mortals as best as she could without getting involved in their shit or without having to fight them.

"And what about the other monsters?" Nico questioned. "You mentioned two more stinking monsters in the Carnival. Vampires too?"

She thought back to Mason Lockwood, at how he'd smiled at her as if nothing was wrong. A polite smile after having caught her staring at him. His smell was different to those of vampires, but there was, without doubt, a monstrous edge to it.

And it was a _mortal_ monster; there was no doubt of that.

"I honestly don't know," Percy answered. "They smelled different, more animalistic. I've yet to meet them personally, so I don't know what to do about them. I'm trying to concentrate in one set of monsters at the time."

It was the smartest thing. Concentrate on the monsters that knew she wasn't human; the rest of them could wait.

"Why don't you come to Camp?" Nico asked, his voice as soft as a whisper. "You're living in a town infested with different kinds of monsters. I don't see how safe you could be there."

"I can't," She shook her head. "My family-"

"They're not safe either," He pointed out. "I know they're capable of defending themselves, they proved it in the first war when they killed two monsters, but there's still a great risk-"

"And that's why they need me here with them, so I can protect them against these monsters." She shook her head. "Look, we can't move back to New York, all our money went into this new house. And I can't tell them that there are monsters here, they'd send me to Camp immediately."

"I know you're thinking about them, but you should think about yourself too, Percy," Nico said gently. "You're not okay, and on top of that you're surrounded by monsters you don't even know much about. I don't want to say it, but the odds of you coming out alive are..."

"As improbable as they always are," Percy forced a smile at him. "I survived Tartarus, I can survive this town. This is Disneyland compared to everything else I've faced."

"You've never been alone before," Nico shook his head. "Not with so many monsters, not even in the first war. And certainly not in Tartarus."

Percy didn't wanted to correct him. She'd fought alone multiple times against _armies_ of monsters, monsters more dangerous than these vampires could ever be.

She paused for a moment, not knowing how to answer without sounding arrogant.

"Have a little faith in me, would you, Nico?" Her voice was soft and pleading. "I _know_ I can do this."

It broke him. He'd always believed in her. How could he not? Ever since he first saw her the only thing he could see was a true heroine. His favourite game come to live - the Greek heroes and heroines he read in his comics and his mythomagic games.

He _always_ believed in her, even when she herself didn't.

He didn't knew how to say that without sounding like he was still crushing on her.

So he didn't.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping, Seaweed Brain?"

He'd never called her something else than just her name, and he using now Annabeth's favourite nickname for her made her smile. Their relationship had improved greatly after everything that happened, and she was glad.

After years of being a closed off demigod, Nico di Angelo was doing just great with opening himself to her. It had been slow at first, as it was to be expected, but soon it was as natural as breathing. He still had his doubts and his moments where he wanted to be alone, but he was doing better.

And that made Percy happy. If there was someone who deserved happiness and friendship it was Nico.

"Don't remind me," Percy sighed. "I'll call you tomorrow. Goodnight, Death-Breath."

 **...**

Now she hadn't even finished her day and she already knew she wouldn't have time to call Nico di Angelo back. She'd started school almost in the middle of the semester; she had lots of homework and assigned work to fall in line with the rest of her classmates.

She'd already taken half her classes, and in lunch she sat inside with a couple of friendly girls. Percy could hardly remember their names, but she was trying. Nearly everyone had been nice to her, and it was a surprising turn of events.

In her previous schools, everyone would either find her strange or they would mock her for her financial status. Of course, she studied in private schools before, where money was everything. It was the only thing Percy seemed to like about public schools.

Status didn't really mattered.

But she couldn't deny she was feeling a little lost. She was new, she didn't knew anyone there and while they tried to incorporate her into the conversation and into their activities, she was completely lost and slightly confused.

After lunch she just had two classes left. The first was History with Alaric and then English with Paul.

She was more than relieved to end her day that way. While the green-eyed girl didn't completely trust Alaric yet, it was reassuring the thought of having a class with someone she actually knew and that was friends with her stepfather.

"What's your next class?" A pretty petite girl asked her. So far she'd been the most polite of her classmates, and Percy returned the favour with uncharacteristic kindness and politeness. "Maybe we share it."

"I have History next, and then English." Percy answered, copying her smile. "I believe I share English with you, but I'm not so sure about History..." She looked down at the schedule on her hands.

"Oh, you take History with juniors," The pretty girl raised her eyebrows, gently taking the schedule from her hands and reading it. "Why's that?"

 _What?_

"I have no idea."

Percy wouldn't have been bothered by that information had she not known that the junior curse was full of monsters.

"Do you need help finding the history classroom?" The girl asked nicely. Percy refused politely and moved to go, but stopped after a second. Noticing the sheepish look on her eyes and how she seemed to be thinking how to ask something, the girl chuckled. "My name is Emma, by the way."

Percy looked relieved.

 _Brown hair and black eyes. Sun kissed skin. Pretty smile and freckles all around her cheeks and nose._ Yeah, Percy could remember _that_ about her. But not her name.

"Thank you, Emma." Percy gave her a brilliant smile. "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Upon arriving at the history classroom, Percy braced herself for yet another class filled with curious glances and the teacher asking her to introduce herself. It was so silly, what could she say?

 _Hello, my name is Percy Jackson. I'm seventeen years old and my father is a Greek god, maybe you've heard of him? His name is Poseidon. Oh, and I've fought in two wars already and I'm still in high school. My ex boyfriend and best friend is a god and I went to hell. Badass, right?_

They'd think she was crazy.

Instead, what she always said was: _Hi, my name is Percy. I'm seventeen years old, I'm from New York and I love the beach and being with my friends._

Typical cliché thing.

But thankfully, Alaric didn't made her introduce herself. He did that himself; saying that they had a new student and that her name was Percy Jackson and that he hoped they welcomed her warmly to the school and the town. Then he told her to take a seat.

Nearly all seats were already taken, and Stefan Salvatore caught her eye instantly. She saw him tense and look at the dark-skinned girl at his side. It was the girl from her demigod dream, the one that defended Damon yet stood with the witch as she tortured him.

The witch was also there, and just like Stefan, she was looking at Percy.

The dark-haired demigoddess ignored them, putting her bag on an empty chair by the end of the classroom. After a moment of feeling uncertain, she made up her mind and walked towards Alaric again.

The man smiled immediately when he saw her, but there was a slight edge of wariness to his gase, almost as if he was looking at her for the first time.

"Hello again, Percy. What can I help you with?" He asked politely.

"Why do I share a class with juniors?" Percy asked him in a hushed tone. "I don't understand."

Alaric pursed his lips tightly, his eyes almost disapproving. "You missed nine months of your junior year, Percy. The headmaster admitted you in the senior course but you'll have to take some of the courses you missed, my class being one of those."

But Percy wasn't happy with that. She already took summer classes before moving to Virginia, she thought she didn't had to take more classes than the necessary for her to finish High School.

"Why wasn't I told about this before?" She demanded. "When I end this then what? I'll have to take summer classes for a History course for seniors?"

She didn't wanted to spend her summer stuck in a classroom again. Her ideas for the summer, which was as far away as it could ever be, was to spend it either in Camp Half-Blood, or in Rachel's summer house in California.

"No. The deal was simple, you take one semester with the juniors and have half a class of what you missed, and the next semester you take the History course you're supposed to take. Easy." Alaric gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll take it easy on you, don't worry."

So half a semester with the juniors, the next semester with the seniors.

Percy frowned, sarcasm lacing her tone. "How thoughtful of you."

Alaric simply raised an eyebrow at her. She headed back to her seat, only to see Matt Donovan waving at her in a friendly way, sitting on the chair close to hers. Recognising him as the waiter at the Grill, she forced a smile on her face and waved back.

At least there was a friendly face in the ocean of weary glances and monsters.

"Hey, Matt. Nice to see you again."

The witch was staring at her, a cold look on her eyes that only made her look extremely arrogant and proud. Stefan was looking at her too, though his expression was unreadable. The other one was simply stealing glances at her, clearly still not completely understanding why her friends were looking at her.

So, _obviously,_ Damon had gone to his brother to whine about their new neighbour being inhuman.

Witches had a way of sensing Percy's kind. That being courtesy of a spell made by the witch that hated demigods more than she hated the gods, said witch being Medea.

But considering how cold and unafraid this little witch seemed to be, it was obvious she couldn't understand what he'd senses were telling her. She had no idea what Percy really was.

If she knew, she'd retreat immediately.

Witches and demigods didn't really mixed well. The only witch Percy liked was Hazel Levesque, her cousin and best friend, and another integrant of the Seven of the Prophecy. And in that same way, Hazel wasn't really a witch; she was more of Hecate's apprentice.

"How's your first day going?" Matt asked kindly. "Judging by your face it hasn't been the greatest."

"Let's just say some people here aren't completely nice to me," Percy stared at Stefan as she spoke, only to give him a crooked sarcastic grin. "Monsters, the bunch of them."

It gave her extreme pleasure to see the vampire shoulders tense at her words. She hadn't lied to Nico, she really was looking for no problems. She really was regretful of attacking Damon and showing that she wasn't human to him, but there was a deep craving inside of her that only wanted to make them suffer.

Taunting them gave her a satisfaction and triumph so overwhelming that she only wanted to drown in that feeling.

It was a feeling too strong. She wanted to show them who was in control, she wanted them to fear her and despise her. She wanted to _torture_ them.

But she controlled herself.

She had a million problems of her own and things she needed to do that were more important than a town infested with vampires. As much as the moral side of her screamed at her that her choice could mean the death of thousands at their hands, she would try and control herself.

She would protect as many mortals as she could, but she was also going to be as separated from the vampires as she could.

 _Don't attack unless you're attacked._ That's what Triton always said regarding monsters. _Always have the upper hand and the skills to attack._

And then there was Hermes' advice. _Don't get too involved with these monsters. They might seem like humans sometimes, but never forget that they are, in fact, monsters._

Percy wanted to be the moral one there. She wanted to be mature and collected and irritate them with her indifference and coldness. But she was too hyperactive to even try to do it. She was impulsive by nature, and that was something she couldn't really change.

She was a detonating bomb, as Apollo had so kindly worded it out for her. _A drop-dead gorgeous detonating bomb with killer legs and kissable lips._

Remembering Apollo's words, Percy couldn't hide her smile. Her heart twisted uncomfortably at the reminder, but it had been a nice memory, to hear how he used those silly pickup lines on her while trying not to be incinerated by Poseidon for that.

Yes, that was a good memory.

Her whole family and loved ones together for one festivity, a joyous memory. Her half-brother Tyson laughing with Grover and Annabeth while Poseidon held a polite conversation with Paul. The warm smell of fresh baked cookies, the wide smile Apollo had on his face...

He'd been happy too.

He told Percy a couple of days later that that had been the first time he'd had an afternoon with mortals and that it had been more than he hoped it would. Sally and Paul accepted him inmediately only because he made Percy happy, and Poseidon tried to stand him for his daughter's sake.

It was one of the few memories before the second war that Percy could look back and smile at.

It had been a _good_ memory.

The sneaking kisses on that Christmas morning in their little apartment in New York. Warm hugs as they watched silly old Christmas movies while Sally and Paul made breakfast for them. Loving forehead kisses when Poseidon wasn't looking.

The silly war-match they had in the living room with Annabeth, Tyson and Grover, which was then followed by silly family games such as Monopoly and Twister and all the silly card-games that mortals loved.

Apollo's soft voice as he recited poetry for them- the power went out exactly as they were watching a movie and didn't came back for hours after that- and his voice was the only thing that entertained them. His eyes, his gorgeous eyes lighting the whole room with his power.

The way he smiled with everything but his mouth as he recited them love poems, eyes never leaving Percy's. His soft laugh when Annabeth and Percy started bickering, the way he looked at her when he thought no one was looking, the way he hugged her...

The way they kissed.

The simplicity of their relationship back then...it was all she ever wanted.

 _Best friends and lovers._ The best combination there could ever be; and everything had been completely perfect. They were in love and they were together and _nothing_ else mattered.

They could talk about anything and everything for hours without being bored, and when words weren't needed they were more than happy with the silence that followed them. Comfortable even. It didn't mattered what they were doing or where they were, it only mattered that they were together.

It was indescribable.

She cared for him in a way she'd never cared for anyone else before, and even now as they're not together anymore, she can't help but hope that he was okay and that he was happy. She wanted to hate him for breaking her heart, but she couldn't.

She loved him.

And she loves him even more than she loved him in that Christmas morning, if that was even possible.

He was in that Christmas morning a man and she was a woman. They weren't a god and a demigoddess, none of that was ever mentioned. They simply were... _together_. And happy.

 _Very_ happy.

She was a drop-dead gorgeous detonating bomb with killer legs and kissable lips, and he was the breathtakingly handsome flame with astonishing eyes and a killer smile; the flame that threatened to make the detonating bomb explode.

And _hard_ it did explode.

Percy shook her head softly, forcing herself to stop thinking about that. She looked away, not wanting anyone to see the sudden change in her, but it was almost impossible not to notice.

"Don't worry, they'll warm up to you," Matt said reassuringly, thinking of the last thing she said to him. "You seem very nice and friendly. You'll make friends quickly, you'll see."

The demigoddess was touched by his kind words.

"Thanks, Matt. The thing is...I'm not interested in making friends with that sort of people, you see, they tend to be..." She held the vampire's stare as she finished, making sure to roll the word with her tongue, giving him an almost feral look. "... _toxic._ "

The dark-skinned girl suddenly scowled at her, and made sure to grab Stefan's hand between her own. Percy chuckled to herself.

"Well, you can forget about them. I can be your friend if you'd like," Matt smiled at her. "And I'm certainly not toxic."

"No, you're cute and nice," Percy nodded, ignoring the blush that crept to his cheeks. It was a small compliment, something that she didn't thought much before saying. Something that meant nothing to her. "I'd love to be your friend."

"Hey, Matt," The witch called. She was frowning at them. "How's Caroline?"

Matt lost the smile, looking away uncomfortably. His cheeks were no longer red, and he was suddenly guilty for noticing another girl that wasn't his girlfriend. But he loved Caroline. Percy Jackson was just very pretty and a possible new friend.

But the guilt was still there.

"She's doing better," At Percy's curious look, he looked at her and explained briefly. "Caroline's my girlfriend, she recently just had an accident but she's fine now."

"Oh." Percy blinked. "Okay."

She remembered the name. Caroline. The blonde monster that killed that mortal the night before in the carnival. Matt Donavan was dating a vampire. That's why he smelled like a monster.

"She's nice. You'd like her," Matt promised, a soft smile on his lips at the thought of his girlfriend.

Percy doubted that she could ever like a monster, but simply nodded and smiled.

After that, she made everything under her will to ignore the little monsters in her class and simply try to finish her first day in that new school. She could feel them looking at her, observing her very move. And she would be lying if she said she didn't do anything to tempt them and to agitate them.

It was _hilarious._

They were so easily agitated that it honestly sparkled the demigoddess interest and amusement.

When the doorbell rang and she was calmly putting her things back into her backpack, Stefan Salvatore appeared in front of her. He adopted what could be an easy-going posture, but his eyes were full of anticipation. He was ready for anything.

"Hi, Stefan." Percy said. "Fancy seeing you here. Beautiful morning, isn't it?"

The classroom was almost empty now, only Alaric, the witch and the other girl remaining with them.

At his silence, Percy raised an eyebrow. "How's Damon? He had some nasty little burns last night. I hope he's alright," She gave them a sarcastic smile.

The dark-skinned girl pursed her lips as the witch scowled darkly.

"You know for someone who claims to want peace between us you certainly contradict yourself." Stefan had a polite tone, only meaning business.

"Oh, please don't tell me you are actually offended because of the little comments I made with Matt Donovan. That is so petty of you." Percy scoffed. But at the tight clenching of Stefan's jaw, she tried to hide a smile. "Oh, I see. You don't like it when I say the truth."

There it was again, the inevitable taunting tone she took when talking to them. It was what had made Damon interested in her, and was now what was making Stefan lose his composure slightly.

"Stefan is not a monster," The dark-skinned girl said loudly and clear. Her eyes firm and angry, her whole demeanour screaming at her. "You're making false accusations; you don't even know us."

But the demigoddess knew enough. She'd done all the research she could after discovering what they were. It was new and in some way exhilarating the thought of vampires and not _empousa._

Artemis' book had enough information about them for Percy to know their usual behaviours and how to kill them. It could be as simple as driving a stake through their heart. And even Riptide could work, they were a different kind of monsters, but celestial blade could kill anything inhuman.

"Vampires are monsters. I don't mean it in a discriminating way. I say it because it's the truth. Leeches, the lot of them. And do not let me get started on _witches_." Percy stole a glance at said witch. "Petty bitches obsessed with power."

The witch reacted instantly. Percy felt a burning pressure on her forehead, almost as if something was trying to enter her mind and make her collapse. It was an old trick, and Percy was more than resistance to that one. It was weak and painless.

This witch really was a newbie.

Percy clicked her tongue at her. "Oh. So easily agitated. You really should learn to resist the truth." She turned to the others. "Did you guys know that witches don't even have magic? They borrow it from the earth and the universe. They're literally _borrowers_. Petty as fuck."

The witch was frozen in her place. Eyes wide and filled with surprise, her legs taking a step back without it being her intention. At the curious look her friends gave her, she simply stared at Percy.

"I made every single vein in your brain collapse. No one can resist that, not even vampires." Her eyes darkened, fear showing in them along with hatred at her words. "What are you?"

No one had ever been able to shrug her spell off like that, no one. And then this little girl...this _unknown teenage girl_ could. Bonnie Bennett was _completely_ terrified.

"Practice makes perfection," Percy tried not to remember the long excruciatingly painfull hours when C.C had tortured her. "As for my secret, why would I share it with you? It's mine to share and mine alone."

"You know our secret, why shouldn't we know yours?" Stefan pointed out.

That made no sense.

It wasn't like Percy forced Damon to spill out their secret, it had come out willingly. She had no desire to give them the opportunity to even guess what she was. They could all try and play the part in the little drama of leaving each other alone, but in the end the act would drop and they'd try to kill each other.

And as much as she desired to die most of the time, she didn't wanted to die by their hand.

"It's not like I forced your brother to tell me, it was all too clear after his face morphed into that..." Percy stopped. "Well, let's just say his other face isn't as pretty as his normal one is. I didn't needed to be Sherlock Holmes to discover what he was after that."

"That's not what Damon said." Alaric decided to speak for the first time. "He said you were powerful enough to hold him and shove him back. You demanded to know what he was—"

"And he attacked me and I defended myself." Percy shrugged. "I was a little curious, that much I can't deny. But could you blame me? I just moved into a town that literally stinks of monsters and I didn't knew what kind of monsters roamed my neighborhood."

"So you decided to threaten us all." Elena Gilbert scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I told your brother I didn't wanted any problems and I mean it." Percy ignored the dark-skinned girl and looked at the vampire. "But what I said to him stands, I won't sit back and let you all kill innocent mortals. I have my limits and they break when mortals are involved."

"What makes you think we'll listen to anything you have to say?" Bonnie Bennett spat at her, voice raised arrogantly. She was clearly intimidated. "You don't want any problems yet you taunt us. Who do you think you are to-"

"Lose the attitude, Winifred." Percy snapped back.

She hated people like that witch, people that believed themselves to be over other people just because they had power. That was something the young demigoddess couldn't even stand. Much less when said attitude was directed towards her.

She was tired of people always snapping at her and raising their voices at her.

Percy couldn't stand it when gods yelled at her and demanded things. She had no respect for gods, she certainly wasn't going to respect a witch and let her yell at her as she wished.

"I don't want problems but if you want them, then you'll have it." Every word was carefully spoken. Green eyes blasting as fiercly as the savage sea that drowned mortals and everything on its path. The not so silent threat echoing in the sudden silence of the room.

She looked like a demon. Dangerous and cold all over. It wasn't easy to describe, but in one moment she stopped looking like a normal teenager girl and took the attitude and looks of an older person. Something older and dangerous.

Something inhuman.

The look was so fierce that Elena took a step back without actually meaning to.

"You might be a witch, but I am a lady and I will be addressed with the respect I deserve," Percy stared at Bonnie. "I care about the mortals in this town as if it were my own. I've been protecting mortals since I was a little girl, and I won't stop doing it now."

The others shared a small look. _Protecting mortals? Since she was a little girl? Was he like Alaric, a vampire hunter? Certainly not. Alaric doesn't have the strength to push Damon off yet she does._

"No mortals will be harmed," Alaric intervened. "You have my word on that."

The demigoddess wasn't sure how much his word could be worth, but she sensed he was telling the truth. He was the only mortal in the room. He wouldn't just lie when it came to the protection of other mortals.

"Then you have my word your secret is safe with me," Percy nodded seriously. "And I won't do you any harm as long as no one else gets hurt in this town."

There was a brief pause.

Percy could see the tension between them. It was more than obvious that neither of them wanted to let her live, they were dying to know what she was, the imminent threat of another supernatural creature in their town and them not knowing what it was was probably driving them insane.

She, of course, loved every second of it.

"Why do you even care?" Elena demanded. Her voice was laced with irritation, an annoyed sigh leaving her mouth. "You're new here. You don't know anyone yet."

"Oh, I don't care." Her smile was sarcastic and impertinent. "Not about any of you, anyways. All I care about is the safety of the mortals. As for why, that is completely my business and not yours."

"I'm mortal and so is Alaric and Bonnie and all of us," Elena said fiercly. "It is our business."

Percy raised an eyebrow at her. "A vampire, a witch, a vampire hunter and a doppelgänger. Sunds like the start of a bad joke involving a bar, and not really mortal."

Elena froze. "How do you know about-"

"Do you know Katherine?" Stefan demanded, eyes darkening.

"I did my research," Percy shrugged. "Call me paranoid, but I don't trust any of you. Better know where I'm standing. Now, if you excuse me, I have better things to do than hear your complains and demands."

Knowing nothing else could come of their encounter, Percy moved swiftly towards the door. She was almost completely out of the classroom when she heard the unmistakeable sound of an arrow being pulled. Percy rose her hand and caught the flying arrow between her pointer and middle finger.

She heard Elena suck in a gasp as the witch scoffed. Alaric was quickly at her side, eyes wide. But Percy simply twisted the arrow and broke it in half before shoving it into Alaric's hands.

" _Petty_ ," She commented. Her temper was flaring, her veins aching as if filled with venom. She wanted to turn around and make them choke on their own internal fluids. Or even better, to have them choke on their own blood- if vampires even _had_ blood in their veins.

But that was exactly what they wanted. They wanted to observe her movements, to know what she was. They wanted her to break and show a glimpse of her real nature.

And she wasn't going to give them that satisfaction.

"Sorry, I promised Damon I'd do something like that," Stefan shrugged, not really sorry. "Good reflexes, by the way."

That could be considered as they breaking their little pact of peace- stablished a couple of seconds before the arrow was pulled- but the demigoddess was willing to ignore that for one single reason...

"You tried," She commented, keeping her voice steady and indifferent. She was more than furious inside, but she collected herself quickly. "Don't be surprised when I attack. You had your turn, now it's mine."

The threat hung in the air.

And she was gone.

There was a long silence in the room as the little gang stared at each other, still processing her last words and what happened.

"She is...she looked like," Elena swallowed without noticing it. "She looked like a demon. You saw her eyes..."

"Harder and darker than the eyes a girl her age should have," Alaric sounded concerned. "She looked dangerous. Whatever she is, you guys really should just leave her alone." He turned and walked towards his desktop, worry on his eyes.

"But she could hurt us, hurt _me_ ," Elena protested. "We can't let her simply co-exist here."

"Elena, we can't fight her when we don't even know what she is." Stefan sighed exasperatedly. "Ric's right. We should just leave her alone."

Alaric looked surprised with that statement, but seeing the dark look on the vampire's eyes, he noticed he said it only to appease Elena.

"She literally lives in the house next to yours!" Elena protested. "You're in danger. You can't have her so close to you, she-"

"Elena, stop." Stefan said strictly. "Don't bother yourself with this. Bonnie, please side with me in this. She listens to you."

Elena gave them an incredulous glance, but when Bonnie simply looked away, lips pursed, Elena was forced to sigh and nod. "Yes, okay. Okay. I'll forget about this."

But she really wouldn't.

"Besides, she doesn't seem to care much about you," Alaric spoke, stealing a glance at Elena. "She was more centred in Stefan and Bonnie."

"She looked like she _hated_ me," The young doppelgänger stressed. "She must know Katherine. That's the only explanation as to how she knows I'm a doppelgänger. She must be sided with Katherine."

"Not everything's about you, Elena." Bonnie sighed in irritation. Green eyes stuck in her head like a virus. A menace. Something that needed to be destroyed. "She didn't seemed to care about you in any way, her threats were directed towards us."

Elena looked at Stefan and Alaric, but both men seemed to agree with Bonnie's words.

It shouldn't have hurt that much, but it did. _Since when did anything that happened in Mystic Falls didn't had to do with her?_

Elena scowled.

"I hate to say it but my curiosity is spiked," Alaric sighed deeply. "I think we should leave her alone, but I want to know what she is too. She's my friend's stepdaughter. He might be in danger for all we know." He paused. "If he doesn't know about her already..."

"Why is she important?" Bonnie suddenly narrowed her eyes. "She just walked into our town and started demanding things. Who does she think she is? A goddess? A Queen?"

"I don't know," Stefan forced himself not to roll his eyes. "We don't know anything about her. She's only talked to Damon and we don't know how much of that was a lie and what was the truth."

"Why was she talking to Damon in the first place?" Elena frowned.

"He took her to the Carnival last night," Stefan looked at her, noticing an edge to her voice. "Are you seriously asking me why Damon does anything? He saw a new girl and saw an oportunity to suck blood and fuck for a while." At the looks on their faces, he sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's been a long day."

Stefan didn't usually talked like that, but he had a million things on his mind.

Damon's obsession with finding out what the Lockwood's were now mixed with his desire to know what Percy Jackson was, and over everything is the fact that Katherine was back too, and Elena is hurting because Damon killed Jeremy.

And all that responsibility weighed down on Stefan.

He was supposed to be the brother that fixed everything, the one that thought before acting. But it was harder than it looked like, and he just wanted to go back to ignoring everything and leaving Damon to kill whoever he wanted and then act like he cared.

He wanted Damon to have the blame for everything and he wanted to be able to enjoy his girlfriend as he should. But he couldn't, not when there was so many problems in one moment.

Everything was sort of exploding on his head.

And then there was the trip Damon would be doing with Elena and Alaric. He despised the idea of Damon being alone with Elena somewhere where he couldn't see them, but he had agreed to help Caroline. And they needed all the information they could gather.

He was hand-tied.

"Let's go home," Stefan sighed, looking at Elena. "You have to talk to Jenna about the trip and I have to make sure Damon hasn't killed anyone else."

"I still have one more class left," Elena pointed out.

"When have you cared about school?" Bonnie gave her a look. Before Elena could say something to defend herself, Bonnie walked towards the exit.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I have to find my grandmother's Grimoire to help Stefan with the spell he wants me to do," She looked at Stefan. "I'll see you at Caroline's in an hour."

 **...**

When Percy arrived home with Paul, she found an unpleasant surprise waiting for her. The familiar smell of monster was coming from her house, dark waves of stinking monster powder swarming in the air. She scowled and walked quickly towards the porch.

A dark-haired man waited for her there, blue eyes set with determination and coldness. Percy sighed with irritation when she saw him, while Paul nodded at him as a greeting. He moved past him when it was clear he only wanted to talk to Percy, and left both dark-haired creatures alone.

Percy saw Paul enter the house and greet Sally, who moved to greet Percy but then noticed Damon. She frowned for a moment, but then she simply nodded at them and closed the door to give them more privacy.

"Hi, Percy," Damon waved sarcastically at her.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Percy forced a smile at him, briefly looking up to the sky. "What can I help you with today?" She paused, looking him up and down. "How are your wounds?"

His eye twitched, but he remained collected and calm. As she looked at him, she saw that they healed as fast as other monsters. There were no marks nor anything that could indicate that just the previous night he'd been nearly burned completely.

"Do you really have a pet Hellhound?"

At the random question, Percy couldn't help but blink at him. She thought he was there to kill her, or at least to try to kill her. But he seemed as relaxed and normal as before. Slowly, a small smile cornered her lips.

"Are you really still on with the lies vs truth thingy we had in your car yesterday?"

Damon shrugged immediately, an overly exagerated smile on his lips. "What can I say? I really do want to get to know you better. I want to know, for instance, what your favourite colour is," He moved nonchantly around, "Get to know how you lived back in New York, know what your favourite hobby is..."

Percy cocked an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him move around the porch, stopping every once in a while to touch some ornaments Sally and Paul had left in the walls and the windows to decorate the place.

The intrusion made her irritated, but she left him snoop around a little.

He locked eyes with her. "Know how you managed to overpower me last night," Damon ended. "Know, for instance, what are you and how is it possible that you could do that thing with the water...because you're not a witch, that much is clear."

"That's such a rude question," Percy sighed, giving him a look that meant to show how degraded she felt. "I'm not a _what_ , I'm a _who_."

"Humour me," His eyes darkened, losing his patience for one brief moment.

"You know who I am, Damon. I introduced myself before, my name is Percy Jackson. Well, it's actually Persephone Jackson, but I prefer to be called Percy. More easygoing and not so harsh, don't you think?"

She actually _liked_ to be called Persephone, just that no one really called her that, so she grew used to Percy. For the demigoddess, her goddess namesake was one of the best. She was not only the Queen of the Underworld and a powerful goddess, she was also the goddess of spring.

She was dark, vengeful and powerful, yet she was sweet and feminine.

Percy wanted to be like her...Well, not completely like her. The part of being kidnapped didn't sounded as amazing as others could believe.

Damon lost his patience completely. "What are you?"

Percy snarled, eyes hardening, the green in them turning a nasty shade of poisonous green. "I'm not a what, Damon Salvatore, I'm a who. You might be immortal but I'm a person and I will be adressed as such."

Damon sighed in irritation. "Look, I told you before- I like you. And I don't often like many people. I don't want to hurt you," He ignored the scoff the demigoddess let out. "Just answer my questions so I can go back to obsessing over the Lockwood's."

"Aww, don't tell me you're obsessing over me now," Percy grinned at him. "I'm so flattered right now. But I must say I don't reciprocate the feeling. I don't befriend monsters."

Maybe if he hadn't been a monster, they'd be friends. She liked his snarky attitude, it contrasted with hers.

But she was no fool. She knew that, unlike Bob and Damasen, these monsters- these _vampires_ , were no more than just that. They were monsters, and there couldn't possibly be redemption for them. They couldn't be honestly friendly, not without expecting something in return.

Maybe she was wrong, but they were just monsters. Things that shouldn't even exist. Things that were destined to be killed, maybe by her hands, maybe by the hands of another demigod.

"I feel like I'm talking to a child right now," Damon rolled his eyes, mouth deforming into a grimace.

The young woman simply shrugged at that, keeping her temper in control. "I'm seventeen years old, Damon. You want to see my mature side? Show me some respect and then I'll consider it."

"Would you please just answer my question?"

"Sure," Percy said, surprising Damon, who quickly straightened and moved as if to listen more closely. "My favourite colour is blue, I used to live in a small apartment and my favourite hobby is swimming. I was actually about to enter the swim team in my former school, and I was part of the baseball team."

Those were the answers to his previous questions. The vampire scowled at her, and she shrugged at him once again.

"What? You asked me what my favourite colour was, how I lived in New York and what my hobby was. I answered. Aren't you happy?"

"You're acting like a spoiled child," Damon frowned.

His words angered Percy in a strange way. He made sure to store that information away for future reference, apparently she didn't liked being called spoiled. The child comment she easily shrugged it off, but the spoiled one seemed to hit a nerve.

"Excuse me," Percy said with an over-exaggerated gasp. "I didn't knew I had to tell a complete stranger and a monster my most guarded secret. Yes, of course, I apologise. It was my mistake, I'll tell you immediately so you can kill me as soon as you discover how."

The vampire seemed to realise how ridiculous the whole situation was. It was, beyond anything else, not of his concern what the young girl was, much less was she supposed in any way to reveal her secret to any of them. They had an encounter the night before, that was the thing.

She had threatened him and discovered his secret.

He wanted to do the same.

"I'm not going to _kill_ you," Damon said, voice soft for the first time since he met her. But it was broken when the beginnings of a scoff left his mouth.. "I just want to know if you mean a threat to my family and me. If you don't, then it's all good. And we can be best buddies if you want."

"You don't fool me," Percy chuckled. "I'd kill you if I didn't wanted peace between us, and I'm not wrong to assume you'd do the same to me if you knew what I am."

"You're very paranoid, you know that?" Damon cocked an eyebrow. He couldn't deny her words, it was all true, but he'd play the little game. "Also, you like to say you're a who and not a what yet you just described yourself as a what."

The young demigoddess rolled her eyes, a sigh leaving her mouth. "I'm talking about myself, I have the right to call me whatever I wish, but you don't."

There was a pause between them.

"I'm going to tell you what I told your brother earlier," Percy spoke suddenly, breaking the silence. "I want to kill you, I really do. But there are more important things in my life right now, and I don't want trouble. I'm tired of it, you know? All I ever get is trouble..."

He looked like he could relate to her words, but his whole face was a complete mask of concentration. Only his eyes showed his thoughts on her words.

"I won't kill any of you as long as no more mortals are harmed," She ended. "Leave the mortals alone and we'll have peace between us. Touch another mortal- or even me- and I will destroy you and everyone you hold dear."

Silence followed her statement. She could see Damon taking her in, observing every little part of her body, as if trying to figure out what she was just by looking. She thought her words would have a powerful effect, or that he might even snarl at her or try to attack, but he merely shrugged.

"I like your necklace," He said. "Is that Greek?"

In a knee-jerk reaction, she moved her hand over her chest and gripped the ends of her necklace tightly. Five seconds later, she realised her mistake and quickly lowered her hand, trying to look nonchalant and indifferent.

But the mistake was done. The vampire noticed her reaction and observed more closely said necklace, but it only seemed to be a normal beaded necklace.

 _It must be important to her._

"Thank you."

"Are you Greek?" Damon questioned. "You do have small Greek features in your face..."

Before he could say more, Percy interrupted him. She knew what he was trying to do; he didn't reacted to her threat because he wanted to see if he could find something in her that could give him a clue as to what she was. It was starting to get tiring, and she only wanted to be left alone.

"Are we done here?" She forced a smile at him. "Because I'm very tired and I have lots of things to do."

Damon nodded, moving away from the pillar he was leaning against. He walked away in a slow pace, and as he reached Percy, he stopped at her side, inhaling deeply. A smile cornering his lips as black veins appeared under his eyes.

Percy stared at him, waiting.

But he simply forced another smile at her, his face going back to normal. "Have a good day, Percy."

"How do I smell?" Percy demanded. Damon froze in mid-step, but then he turned around. His eyes were dark and lustful, black veins threatening to appear under his eyes once again.

The young demigoddess would be lying if she said she wasn't curious as to how she smelt to these specific kind of monsters. For normal monsters it was a sweet smell, something that screamed of godliness. But mortal monsters were different.

"You smell absolutely _delicious._ "

Percy took a taunting step towards him. "Do you want to taste me, Damon?" She tapped his shoulder lightly, her touch only making his eyes darken even more. "Mmm?"

She was playing with fire, but she couldn't stop herself. The way he looked so lustful and hungry made her want to jump on him and stick Riptide into his chest. Adrenaline made her heart race in anticipation, one hand itching towards her pocket.

She wanted him to attack. It was like she told Nico, she _craved_ it.

Damon wasn't lying completely when he told her he'd be her friend if she wanted. That girl had something that just plainly made him like her. He could see them as friends in the future, but there was the whole mess with not knowing if she was a threat to them.

If she was, he'd kill her immediately. Just as he'd kill Mason Lockwood if he knew what he was. He couldn't buy the whole "werewolf" theory Alaric had. That's why they planned a trip to Duke's to investigate Isobel's office for any clue as to what they were.

And on top of that, now that he had a glimpse of her smell he felt his control breaking slowly.

"Yes," Damon admitted, voice hoarse. "I want to drain every single drop of blood in your veins until you're nothing. I want to watch you come undone in my arms; I want to see and feel your life leaving your body." By the end, his voice was completely dark and she could see the fangs threatening to emerge.

He never meant to say all that, but he was almost in a trance. Her scent was intoxicating, something like he'd never smelt before. Indescribable in a way, just...powerful and enchanting and completely intoxicating.

He felt like he could drown in her smell, and the thought of actually tasting her blood...

He thought he'd die of pleasure if he had the opportunity of tasting her. Just by thinking about it he felt a moan building on his throat, a shiver running down his spine. His mouth watering slightly, his fangs threatening to emerge once again.

"And that's why I could never be your friend," Percy said softly. Putting a great distance between them, she turned around and walked towards the door, only stopping to look over her shoulder as she told him, "Thank you for proving my point."

Damon faltered for a moment, speechless and confused. Blinking, he realised the way he'd admitted he wanted to drink her blood without hesitation. He was usually more cautious about his words with potential threats. Her smell was making him disoriented, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.

Her scent was bone-breaking and soul-shaking delicious.

He couldn't even think properly. "What point?"

But Percy ignored him.

 _Tell the sun and the stars hello for me._

Monsters were just that; monsters.

 **...**

It wasn't until hours after that moment that Percy was completely done with her homework. As she was closing one of her textbooks, a knock on her door made her look up.

Paul and Sally were leaning against the doorway, her mother smiling sweetly at her while Paul looked excited over something.

"Hi," The demigoddess greeted them, a lazy smile on her lips.

Paul grinned at her, his handsome face showing a great deal of emotion. "I have a surprise for you,"

The demigoddess was interested. She moved her backpack away and stuck her feet off the bed, curiously looking at her parents. "You have a surprise for _me?"_

Paul's eyes took a kind turn, and a soft smile appeared on his face as he noticed the surprise on Percy's voice. He nodded. "Let's go outside so we can play, shall we? Put a jacket on, dear, it's cold."

 _Play?_

More interested, Percy followed them outside. Sally stayed inside, claiming she what things to do. In reality, she wanted them to be alone. Sally and Percy already had their bonding time together, now it was Paul's turn.

As Percy walked towards the backyard with her stepfather, she wondered what the surprise could possibly be, and why it would involve being outside.

"You remember we used to play baseball together, right?" Paul started to talk. "Right before you left for Camp Half-Blood after Christmas."

He went silent for a moment, and signalled her to stop, right in the middle of the garden, a tree to his back. He moved behind the tree, looking for something as the demigoddess looked around distractedly.

"Before I disappeared," Percy added, knowing that's what he was thinking about. "I remember I accidentally broke my bat swinging it at that random Hydra that appeared to kill me."

Paul moved his head from behind the tree to look at her. "I'm still curious about that creature. It was nothing like the ones I've read in the myths-"

"I'll tell you all about their species if you wish," She shrugged. "I'm not an expert, I've only fought one or two of them in my life, but I know the basic details about them."

"I'll take it into consideration. Anyways, since the bat was completely broken we never could play again," Paul pointed out. "You left for Camp before I could buy a new one, and then you spent a week with Apollo-"

"And then I disappeared," Percy ignored the memories that tried to return at the mention of the week she spent in Montauk with Apollo.

It had been winter, so the water was extremely cold and it threatened to snow, but that didn't stopped the couple form swimming together. After that week, she'd gone to Camp Half-Blood to spend the holidays with Annabeth and Grover.

"For nine months."

Paul winced again, though he tried not to let his stepdaughter notice it. He moved from behind the tree when he had all he needed. He threw her a small ball and expertly swung the new bat around as he walked towards her, holding with his other hand the glove.

"I brought you a new bat," He said softly. "Thought we could play, if you want."

It seemed like it had been ages since the both of them shared a good game. Percy missed it, it was the closest thing she could have in her life that made her think of a father-daughter moment.

It wasn't the same with Poseidon.

They had a good relationship, but Poseidon was a busy god.

"Of course I want to," Percy grinned at him. "Can I...?"

Paul grinned back, offering her the bat. "It's yours."

She threw the ball back at him, watching as he expertly caught it. Percy examined the bat in awe, feeling the material with her fingertips, then gripping it tightly on her hands, making a move and swinging it in the air as if hitting an invisible ball.

Paul watched with a smile on his face.

His stepdaughter looked interested in it, and it was the first time in the whole two weeks she was back with them. It was as if an invisible weight was lifted off her shoulders for one moment, just that moment, and she was back to being the cherry teenager she once was.

"It's great! Thank you so much, Paul," She grinned at him again. "Should we wait until tomorrow or...?"

"We can play now, it's still early," He said quickly, unable to hide his excitement. "Ready?"

"Ready."

And they played.

For half an hour they played and it was like old times, with the two of them, bonding as Sally watched through the window and every once in a while offered them something to drink and eat. For that little brief moment, Percy Jackson was able to forget about everything and simply enjoy their moment together.

No hallucinations, no vampires, no school.

Just a baseball game with her stepfather.

 ** _..._**

She was alone in her room when he appeared. As always, it was like watching something out of a movie. He was there, but she knew he really wasn't.

His eyes as golden as the old temples in Olympus, his blond hair slightly long and wavy. The scar under his eye crossed his whole cheek, marking what once was a very handsome face.

" _You know, I'm surprised._ "

She closed her eyes briefly, trying to ignore the way his eyes bore holes into her face. As she opened her eyes, she saw him standing at the edge of the bed, eyes hard and cold.

" _Your words to those vampires and to the witch-_ " Kronos cocked an eyebrow at her. "Y _ou stood for yourself. You demanded to be respected. How were your word...oh yes, you might be immortal but I am a lady and-"_

"I'm tired of being everybody's bitch," Percy interrupted him.

She knew she should just ignore him, but that was harder than anyone could ever believe. He was in front of her, hallucination or not, and he was tempting her with his words.

" _And that, my dear child, is something I'm proud of_ ," His eyes flared. " _All you have to do now is stand up to the gods. Or don't tell me you're just tired of monsters making you their bitch_?" A smile broke into his face, and he laughed. " _Wait, I forgot you_ liked _being a monster's bitch."_

The real Kronos wouldn't talk like that, and Percy knew it was just her own mind making that conversation and his hurtful words up. But it still angered her. It still felt as if he was actually in front of her, taunting her, breaking her.

"Apollo is not a monster," The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "And I wasn't his bitch. I was his _girlfriend."_

He chuckled again, completely amused in a morbid way. " _Oh. How lucky my grandson is. You still stand up for him even when he broke your heart. I don't know if you're just too loyal or a lovestruck fool."_

She looked away, set on ignoring him again.

" _Don't ignore me_ ," He pouted. For a moment, he looked more like Luke Castellan than like Kronos. It gave the demigoddess a spark of hope, but then she remembered it was all in her mind.

"You're not real," She shrugged. "I don't have to talk to you. I really don't want to be the crazy lady that speaks to herself."

Amusement shone on his eyes. " _Oh, poor kid_." He moved towards her, almost softly and gently. " _You don't understand yet? I thought you were smarter than that."_

"What are you talking about?" She groaned in irritation.

"I _'m going to tell you a little secret,_ " He motioned her to come forwards, and she did without even thinking about what she was doing. As he leaned his mouth to her ear, he said. " _I'm not in your mind, my dear. I'm back and I am waiting."_

Time stopped.

She saw him move fast and normal as her own arms felt heavy and the air around them closed against her. She tried to move her arms, startled, but the motion was lazy and forced, almost in slow motion. He chuckled, his rich laugher echoing.

He kissed her forehead, lips hot and burning. Her whole face felt as if it was bathed in fire, and a scream forced its way to her throat, but even that came in slow motion.

Then the feeling disappeared.

The air felt breathable again and her limbs were no longer numb.

" _I'm waiting, Persephone_." He paused. " _Come with me, I need_ your _help_ -"

Overwhelmed, Percy pushed him away, but all her hands touched was air. The room was completely empty and as peaceful and silent as it had been when she was about to sleep. As it was to be expected, there was no indications that he had actually been there at all.

He was gone, but his words stayed in Percy's mind.

For a long moment, she stayed frozen on her bed. The young demigoddess was completely overwhelmed by the sudden words and the way his eyes gleamed. It had looked so real...

When she finally shook her shook off her, she quickly moved towards one of her drawers, and held the cellphone she had for emergencies. Percy hesitated. Demigods weren't supposed to use any kind of electrical devices- they attracted monsters.

Besides, who could she call? None of her friends had cellphones, and the few that actually had would be in danger if she called them.

There was Chiron...but she'd had to admit to him that she's been having hallucinations and that her fear was caused by one of them. And the most the centaur could say to her was to return to Camp so he can examine her better and so one of the healers in camp could check her and nurse her.

And she didn't wanted that.

It would do no good- what could they possible tell her that she didn't already knew?

She hid the cellphone back into the drawer, choosing to swallow once more her doubts. Annabeth was supposed to visit Virginia soon, Percy could tell her about Kronos' words in person. The daughter of Poseidon was slowly calming down, convincing herself that it was all in her head- that Kronos' words were just her own mind projecting one of her fears.

But time had slowed down. That feeling...it was _too_ real.

Once, before the second war, Hermes held a conversation with Percy regarding the old Titan Kronos. He'd said that they were immortal, there was no way Kronos was completely death. But he had been destroyed in a way that was almost impossible for him to heal and find a body to posses.

 _Almost_.

What if he found a way to regenerate back into who he was?

What if he was actually back, or at least starting to heal?

She could only think of someone that could help her and investigate more deeply if those words were a simple hallucination or if there was truth behind them.

But the thought of asking for _his_ help made her feel vulnerable and dumb. She would be yielding her defenses and her barriers and putting herself at his will once again, and that made her feel insecure once again.

What if she was just troubled? What if that was just a hallucination?

But what if it wasn't?

Still unsure and hesitant, the dark-haired demigoddess moved slowly towards the small fountain in her room. Slowly, she knelt before the fountain, touching the cold water with the tips of her fingers, finding comfort in the water.

 _I'm back._

 _I'm waiting._

There was only one person that could answer her doubts.

The young demigoddess fingered her necklace, slowly caressing the delicate golden charm that accompanied the four beads that indicated the four years she spent in Camp Half-Blood. It was small and delicate, but the design was perfectly made and complex and _detailed._

An arrow stuck between a miniature sun and a small heart, sewing them together. The arrow had smaller hearts craved into its tail and head, and old designs decorating the small charm. It was detailed and perfect, with the letters _A_ & _P_ craved in one of the smaller hearts.

She took the necklace off, eying the charm more closely. She was unsure about her next move, insecure and confused as to if she really should do it.

But then she found the small phrase hidden behind the miniature sun, and her breath got stuck in her throat.

 _ **I love you.**_

Percy closed her eyes tightly, hands trembling. And then she was sure about her next move. She needed to know- it was a matter of great importance.

It had nothing to do with the fact that she missed him. It had nothing to do with the fact that the small charm brought old memories to her mind and made her heart ache for him.

No. It was all about Kronos. She needed answers; she was terrified of her newest hallucination and his words. The way it was able to stop time, the way it spoke, the way his eyes gleamed...

It was just a bad coincidence that the only one that could answer her doubts was _him._

He was an old god, wise and smart under the thick layers of indifference and coolness he opted to take to please others. He'd always understood Percy's concern over the old Titan being back, and somehow he'd always known what was going on in Tartarus with their grandfather.

Before she could change her mind, she started praying.

"Lord Apollo, I need your help."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Percy Jackson  & the Olympians nor Vampire Diaries.

English is not my native language, so I'm deeply sorry for any mistakes I might have.

(All comments are answered via private message, but since these two are on guest...)

 **Guest #1:** _I cannot begin to say how much I loved this review, but I'll try. Okay, who am I kidding? I simply loved it too much!_ _It really made me laugh, so thank you very much. I loved the small interaction between Hermes and Apollo, and the part with Zeus. Really, I loved it. Thank you so much. I'm very happy and flattered that you believe I'm talented, it means a lot to me. Also, thank you a lot for the advice you gave me, I really needed it. I try to improve my English as most as I can, but sometimes it all gets mixed together. Thankfully, I entered an advanced English course in my school, which I hope will help me more. I know! I'm comma-obsessed, I think I use them way too much. Thank you again for your kind words and your advice, it really made my day. Thank you! 3 And don't worry about that, I get you, most of the time I'm too lazy to log in, too._

 **Guest #2:** _Exactly, it's supposed to smell divine and alluring, but it will have severe consequences if drank by anyone un-godly. Your request will be considered, because I absolutely adore Nico._

 **Guest #3:** _I know I have grammar errors, I'm working on them._

 **Guest #4:** _I know! Elena and the "gang" believe themselves to be heroes yet refuse to see how selfish they actually are and how much they kill. Well, as for Percy and Apollo, we'll just have to wait and see._

 **...**

 **Chapter 7**

 **...**

It was known to almost everyone that the daughter of Poseidon had diverse copying mechanisms. For example, she would snap at anyone if she was scared, and when she was stressed she usually over-analysed the importance of things.

And if she was both scared _and_ stressed, it was a complete nightmare. She turned into a machine, working on almost anything that would give her a distraction.

Two weeks after her arrival in Mystic Falls, she started studying like there was no tomorrow. At first, her parents thought she was simply taking her time and worrying over her future. But as time went by, and she drowned herself in her text-books and her homework, they quickly grew worried.

"Percy, sweetheart, are you even sleeping?" Paul had seen her one night, sustaining herself on coffee and nutrition bars before carrying on reading.

"Of course I am." _She wasn't._

"I think you need to take a break," Sally said firmly. "This past weeks you've barely been out of your room, I wouldn't even see you if it wasn't for you being hungry and coming down to eat. Please, Percy, dear, this isn't healthy."

"Are you seriously scolding me for studying?" Percy blinked.

"What you're doing isn't studying, Percy. You're obsessing over it-" Paul frowned. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Percy felt like choking _. Did they know...?_

"We haven't seen you this focused on something since the First War. You're not just studying; you're obsessing over it. And that-that's not healthy."

She wanted to defend herself, to say that it was a lie. But it wasn't. The young demigoddess wasn't actually _obsessing_ over studying, she just found in that the distraction she needed. It had been a rough couple of weeks, and she just wanted to ignore everything.

And if she had to drown herself in notebooks and old books to detach herself, then she would.

"Is this about Camp?" Paul asked gently. "Or any other demigod-related problem?"

Sally nodded. "I know you promised us to stay out of trouble until next year, but we also understand that it's your duty to take care of things like that, things that go beyond our comprehension and beyond us. You can go take care of those things, we understand. And we'll be here, waiting for you."

Percy had a very unpleasant lump stuck in her throat. They were so destroyed those months she was gone...she _wrecked_ them, she hurt them...And yet there they were! Saying all those nice things and simply understanding that sometimes she had to choose her duty as a demigod over everything else.

But _never_ over her own family.

Her small mortal family meant more to her than anything else. Her mother and stepfather...they were all she had for a long time. It was the only thing that she was sure she'd always have.

But she was a demigod. Poseidon's daughter. Half-mortal, half-goddess. As much as it was a complete pain in the ass, she was part of the Olympian family. It was _eons_ and _eons_ of bloodline she couldn't simply ignore. And believe it or not, some parts of her divine family were so messed up she wished she could forget discovering them.

But they were her family too. Gods, titans, the giants...everyone and everything was involved somehow. Messed up and dysfunctional. But family nonetheless.

It was often about choosing what part of her family she wanted to be loyal to.

She could be loyal to her mortal family, the one that was always there for her and that wanted what was best for her. Or she could be loyal to her divine family, the family that often cared more about themselves than about her own safety.

But she started to find out she couldn't be loyal to both at the same time.

However, not every part of her other side of the family was completely damaged.

 _Annabeth Chase, Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Clarisse La Rue, Travis and Connor Stoll, Will Solace_...all those campers in both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter were her family too.

And she loved them.

She could never choose between them. It always tore her apart. She wanted to be loyal to the promises she made to her parents, but there was also the bigger problem there; being a demigod was _never_ easy.

 _Blood was thicker than water. -_ Even more when it was golden ichor instead of blood what tied them together.

"We know you hate breaking promises," Paul added. "But we also know some things are more important than us."

Percy wanted to wail, to scream that _nothing_ was more important than them, that she could _never_ break another promise ever again.

But Kronos' golden eyes held her in place; she remembered the horrible glittering eyes that watched her every night. His words, always so taunting. His trick of stopping time...Everything that only seemed to be getting worse as time went by.

She promised her parents that she wouldn't disappear again, she promised she'd stay alive.

But she was starting to wonder if it would be best for her to go back to Camp Half-Blood.

She didn't like the idea of leaving them. Much less the idea of admitting she might be suffering from _post-traumatic stress disorder_ , or "post-Tartarus syndrome". But it was easier to think that than to believe her hallucinations were more than that, and that Kronos was indeed regenerating.

It was easier to swallow her pride and admit that she was sick. At least it was something she could fix. But the thought of Kronos coming back...

She couldn't _ **\- wouldn't**_ \- go through another war.

It wasn't only Sally and Paul she promised to stay out of trouble, it was also Annabeth. The blonde demigoddess had been reluctant to leave Percy's side, as they had plans to spend their senior year together in New York, but when the issue with her cousin resurfaced...

She went willingly, yes. It was her family, after all. But she couldn't leave without making Percy promise not to get herself killed while she was gone.

 **...**

 _"You're not getting away from me, remember?" Percy had said softly. "Not again. I'm not going anywhere."_

 _Annabeth hugged her. "But you have to promise me you won't get involved in another prophecy while I'm gone. If you get hurt or die while I'm not with you...I'll personally kick your ass-"_

 _"You know you can't kick me if I die, right?" Percy smirked at her._

 _"Smart-ass," Annabeth blew a raspberry at her. Then she sobered. "Promise me. Promise me you won't die. If you do...I-I can't follow you there."_

 _Percy drew her into another hug. They'd gone through so much together...being separated again felt like a cruel joke. The daughter of Wisdom was leaving for Boston, and the daughter of the Sea to Virginia. It wasn't supposed to be lik_ _e that, it was...it was..._

 _"It's unfair," Annabeth huffed. "We were supposed to be together."_

 _"And we will be," Percy said, voice full of confidence. "After you find your cousin, we can be together. I mean, we won't be together in New York as we planned, but I'm sure your father wouldn't mind you...you know..."_

 _Annabeth suddenly smirked. "Are you asking me to move with you to Virginia?"_

 _Percy's cheeks went red, a flustered look on her eyes that made her best friend chuckle. Annabeth tried not to look so smug at how easily flustered her friend was. Percy grinned sheepishly. "Well, yeah."_

 _"I'll see what we can do about that," The blonde girl said, eyes full of mirth. "And before you ask me: no. You cannot know what I'm talking about just yet. Stay alive until I come back, and if you do...then I'll tell you."_

 _Percy tried to look angry, but it was completely halfhearted. Annabeth's words gave her the motivation to stay alive until she came back. Her friend always used that tactic, but she learned that, in the end, the wait was completely worth it._

 _"Okay, deal."_

 ** _..._**

If she moved back to Camp...it would be admitting she can't handle herself, admitting that she's sick, that she's unstable and that needs help.

She hesitated. Either way, she was going to lose. If she told Chiron of her hallucinations it would either be marked as PTSD, or her worst nightmares could come true and it would turn out to be real.

Percy would lose. Big deal. So she thought...that it was better to be in the dark, even if it was only for a little while.

"I don't break promises," Percy managed to say. "I won't, not again."

"Dear-" Sally started, sharing a look with Paul.

"I swear nothing's wrong," Percy added as an afterthought. "I just have a lot in mind, you know? New Rome University is very important to me."

"We know. But we thought you were granted a full scholarship and admission with all the benefits-"

"Yes, but they're still requiring me to pass all my high school courses and score well on the SAT. Not to mention I'm still currently playing catch up with all I missed last semester. And I have to pass the DSTOMP."

Sally and Paul shared a confused look. "DSTOMP?"

"An exam for Roman demigods," Percy frowned. "The Demigod Standard Test of Mad Powers."

"But you're not a Roman demigod," Paul pointed out. "You're Greek."

Her sea-green eyes roamed over the SPQR tattoo on her arm. "Technically, yes. But I'm glad to be accepted in their College. Besides, since our last, um, colossal thing together, there's been an unity between Romans and Greeks."

The Athena Parthenos united them, or as Percy liked to think, Nico and Reyna did. Without their efforts, it wouldn't have been possible to succes, they would've perished in the war, fighting against one another.

Sally's eyes roamed through her tattoo too. "I still do not like it."

"I do," Percy smiled sheepishly. "It's fierce yet cute, like me. Besides, I always wanted a trident tattoo. And it's not like I agreed to it, it was forced upon me."

Paul frowned. "Forced upon you?"

"Long story. For the Romans it's what for us Greeks this necklace is," She touched the beaded necklace around her neck. "It symbolizes our achievements."

"But it _had_ to be a tattoo," Sally sighed in despair. "I was very happy with it only being a necklace."

"I agree," Paul said. "I like tattoos, but I believe she's too young to have one."

And just like that, the topic was forgotten completely.

They believed her very elaborated way of hiding the truth without actually lying. She had to study to take those tests for entering College, but she wasn't really worried about that. She knew she could do it, she had Annabeth to help her. She was only using it as an excuse to stay awake all night.

She turned into a professional liar, it came as easily as breathing now.

 _Hermes would be so proud of her._

"Talking about that, is there any news?" Sally asked, as if just remembering to. Percy felt another lump in her throat, this time one bigger and heavier. "From Annabeth, I mean."

Percy relaxed slightly. "Oh, no. Um, not since last week. She's supposed to arrive here in Virginia this week, but I don't know exactly when. A complication surged and she had to postpone the trip to Boston for a couple of days."

"A complication?"

"Family problems, I think," Percy shrugged. "Anyways, I'm going upstairs."

She started to walk away, taking a bag of cookies from the kitchen before continuing. She could feel the stare of her parents on her back, watching her intently. It made her feel uncomfortable and naked, as if they could read her. As if they _knew_ she was lying.

But they probably couldn't know that.

She forced herself to think they were oblivious. It was easier to think that than to affront the thought that they might know the truth.

"Take a break from studying, Percy," Paul advised gently. "Don't exceed yourself that much, it's not healthy. Remember we're going out later."

For a moment she was confused, but then she remembered they were going to the Mystic Falls Historical Society Volunteer Day. She wasn't sure what exactly that was, but Paul had volunteered them to help.

Percy nodded, "Okay, sure."

But as she reached her room and locked herself there, she couldn't find anything to distract herself with. Wanting to take a break as her parents advised her to, she started to move around her room, distractedly looking for something to do.

She found herself by the window, watching the Salvatore's house. With a frown at her own actions, she tugged the curtains down and moved away.

Mason Lockwood was a werewolf. That much she managed to discover, thanks to another dream she had. The details were a little fuzzy, but she could make out most of it.

Mason was chained to a chair, Damon Salvatore taunting him, mentioning what he was, and the herb that could hurt him. And then Damon ripping his heart out.

She wasn't sure if it already happened, or if it would happen eventually. It was fuzzy, _way too fuzzy,_ which made her believe it still had not happened.

She couldn't find it in herself to do anything about it, if it indeed was something that would happen in the near future. Mason was a monster. A werewolf, and there had always been a feud between vampires and werewolves. It had nothing to do with her, a demigoddess.

Besides, why would she stop him from killing Mason? It would be one less monster to worry about.

What worried her was the other Lockwood; Tyler.

He was still human. But one little push, one little mistake and he would become a werewolf too. The least Percy wanted was another monster roaming Mystic Falls.

She wanted to protect him, to prevent him from becoming a monster when he was still so human.

On other notes, school was just the same, with the exception that she ignored the vampire, doppelgänger and witch there, not seeing any relevance in them for her to bother herself with. They exchanged threats and marked down a small treaty of peace.

She knew they weren't happy with it, and that they still were searching for what she was. But in reality, she could care less. She was so scared of her latest hallucinations of Kronos that she couldn't really get herself to care about them.

However, she had been keeping a record of the citizens in Mystic Falls, and felt rather smug after noticing none of them had killed anyone else in the small amount of time she had been there. They were actually refraining themselves from killing.

They listened to her threat and believed her when she said that she'd kill them if they touched another mortal.

 _Good._

All was going well, which was usually a sign that something would go wrong in a matter of short time. Her luck was like that. The Fates loved making her suffer. She was sure they were up in Olympus- or wherever the Fates were- laughing loudly at everything that happened to her.

She could almost picture them, the three old ladies gathered around in Olympus Throne Room, sneering along with Zeus and Ares and every other god that despised her as they watched her life.

The young demigoddess was just _so_ filled with positivism.

A voice whistled. "Jesus, girl. I know your father is Poseidon but you have to be so salty and bitter all the time?"

At the voice, Percy froze.

She turned, movements fast and wild. In front of her, a hologram fluttered. It wasn't that she was startled to receive a message in that way, because it had happened before. But it was more of _who_ was in the hologram, looking impish as usual with his dark wispy hair, his mischievous grin, and his diminutive stature.

Leo Valdez, looking very much alive and healthy. His jeans, blue work shirt, and tool belt were speckled with machine oil. But he looked _alive._

"Leo?" Percy gasped

The son of Hephaestus blinked, a small smirk appearing on his lips. "I mean, I don't know if you're currently salty but as you always seem to be...I thought it was the proper greeting." He scratched his neck, his smirk changing to a sheepish smile.

"Asshole," Percy whispered, forgetting for a moment that since it was a message he couldn't actually hear her. "How are you...you're alive?"

It was impossible. Both Nico and Hazel had felt his death. They saw his dragon explode in the air with him; he sacrificed himself for them! No one could cheat death like that!

Leo spread his arms for a hug. "Sorry to leave you like that. Bad news: I died. Good news: I got better! I had to rescue Calypso. We're both fine now. We're taking Festus to—" The image guttered like a flame in a strong breeze, disrupting Leo's voice. "Back as soon as—" Static. "Cook tacos when—" More static. "¡ _Vaya con queso_! Love ya!" The image winked out.

A small parchment fell to the floor.

For a long moment, the dark-haired demigoddess simply stared at it, unable to move or to form a coherent thought. But then, slowly, she blinked out of her initial surprise. His words hit her like a truck, and she had to take a step back and lower herself into the bed.

"This fucking asshole," Percy breathed, only half out of her initial shock.

She tried not to think of Calypso. It always hurt her somehow, the immortal sorceress was her biggest ' _what if_ '. But it went beyond that lately. All she could think about was the pain Calypso must've felt when Percy left her.

It must've been a great deal of pain for her to _curse_ her. Because Percy could _never_ forget the pain she felt when she watched Annabeth wander Tartarus, lost and broken because she thought she abandoned her _. The curse of Calypso._

Hatred at her curse made her blood boil, but she forced herself to collect her emotions. _Calypso was good_ , Percy convinced herself. She deserved the love Leo was offering her. She was finally out of Ogygia too, which was a good thing.

But where were Leo and Calypso exactly?

Was this message new or old?

Unconsciously, she looked at the plant Calypso gave her just before she left her island. She had put it on her desk, planning to move it away to the balcony so it could receive more sun, but she never actually did it. Now she looked at is as if she expected the plant to answer her questions.

"Percy! You have a call from Camp." Paul appeared on her door, startling her. "Your friend sounds..."

"Anguished? In pain? Hurt?" Percy interrupted him, her mind going over all the things as to why would anyone from Camp call her via cellphone and not via I.M.

" _Angry,"_ Paul stressed. "You should really hurry downstairs. I fear he'll melt the cellphone with his anger."

"Oh."

It was Nico di Angelo.

Camp Half-Blood also received a small parchment with Leo's message.

The son of Hades was angry at the son of Hephaestus. His supposed death had shook them all, even more to Hazel. He despised that Leo couldn't tell them his plan before, if he had...None of them would've grieved him so much.

Hazel wouldn't have been so destroyed with his death. Jason and Piper wouldn't have lost their faith. Frank wouldn't have felt guilty about their constant bickering. Percy wouldn't have felt bad for never actually knowing him much. Annabeth wouldn't have punished herself for not noticing his plans earlier...

They would've searched for him sooner, and maybe they would've found him already.

Piper and Jason were planning on making a small search party to look for them, and Percy promised to help as soon as she could escape her school duties. But she feared it might be more difficult than they thought. Ogygia was a place where no one could find twice- Leo managed to do it but he had _died_...

It was impossible to know where they could be.

It would be like searching for a grain of salt in mountains of sugar.

And since the Oracle stopped working...well, they couldn't receive help from Rachel Elizabeth Dare. No prophecy, no quest. That was the rule. Jason and Piper's small search party for Leo had to be done all by themselves. No small glimpse of the future to help them know where to look.

It was going to be hard, but Percy was positive that they would find him.

 _They had to._

"What was that all about?" Sally inquired when their phone call was done. Her daughter looked shaken, almost trembling. Somehow relieved, but with a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

"We thought we lost someone dear to us," Percy paused. "But it turns out he's alive. So...that's a good news to us."

"And the scary boy that called you?" Paul raised an eyebrow.

Percy's mouth twitched. "That's Nico. I understand his anger. Leo was a complete idiot, he made us mourn and he just sacrificed himself for us without any doubt and...I want to punch him."

"Sacrificed himself for others?" Paul stole a glance at Sally, who pursed her lips, thinking along the same lines as him. "Sounds like he was extremely selfless. Just like someone we know."

Percy blinked. "Yeah? Who?"

Her mother sighed, looking away. Her stepfather managed a smile, but looked away after a moment, thinking of all he'd seen her do for others. Uncomfortable silence covered them, and it took the young demigoddess a moment to understand.

"Oh." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yeah. Um. I'll be going upstairs again, so...bye."

"Wait. Someone came by this morning looking for you," Sally said. "I told him you weren't home, and he said he'd be back."

Percy's heart jumped painfully on her chest, almost as if it wanted to get away from her. A spark of hope igniting on her stomach, giving her energy and filling her with emotion. "Do we know him?"

Sally shook her head. "I would've called you down to meet him, but it was way too early and you were sleeping. Improperly early, so I said you weren't home. He refused to say what he wanted with you, said it was something important to be discussed between the two of you."

"What did he look like?" The demigoddess asked. It was pointless, if it indeed was _him_ , he could look whatever way he desired. Still, she found herself yearning for the answer.

"Handsome," Paul raised an eyebrow in her direction, making Sally hide a smile. "And elegant. Sharp dressed."

"What if it's a monster?" Her husband asked rhetorically, folding the newspaper on his hands and moving it away. "Wouldn't be the first time they disguised themselves as attractive mortals just to be more successful at attacking."

It was a possibility, but the brunette lady shook her head. "I would've known if he was. I'm older now, it's not like it used to be, but I can still see through the Mist."

Percy had ignored their last statement. She was thinking of her mother's words. _Handsome. Elegant. Sharp dressed._ It could be anyone, it really could. But she could only think of someone that was handsome, elegant and usually very sharp dressed.

But she couldn't keep her hopes up. It would only crush her harder if it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Are you _sure_ he didn't say what he wanted?"

"He didn't," Sally promised. "I'll tell you if he comes back."

Percy didn't want to wait. Even if it wasn't him, it was something different. Something new. _Someone was looking for her_. It could easily take her away from her miserable common life in Mystic Falls.

But then again, it could be another god wanting her to do their dirty work. And she was tired of being their slave, of being forced to do whatever they wanted, of doing all they were supposed to do but were too lazy to.

No.

Not again.

But still...

"Please do." She said, a little hesitant. "It might be important."

Sally nodded, so Percy took that as an ending to their conversation. She moved upstairs, wanting to be alone for a little while, even if it never made her any good. Whoever wanted to see her would come back, she was sure of it.

She could wait.

 **...**

Later that day, they found themselves in Paul's car, on their way to the volunteer thing. Percy was completely confused as to what it was, but at least she would get out of her house.

That was a good thing, she was starting to feel that the walls would close on her if she stayed more time inside her room.

"I'm starting to realize this town consists mostly of events and parties. I mean, we've only been here for two weeks and there has been like five events?"

"Well, this is not New York."

Percy scoffed lightly. _That_ was an understatement.

"It's nice," Sally smiled softly. "I like it. I heard there's a masquerade in two days."

Paul perked up at that. He gave his wife a look, eyes full of twinkling mischief. "Masquerade party?" His voice was suggestive, making Sally smile.

"I know," Sally chuckled. They shared yet another look before he had to look back to the road. "I loved it when we danced, you know. We should go."

Paul grinned. "Definitely."

"Our first dates were usually at home-" Sally started, looking back at Percy.

"It was more of studying together than dates," Paul grinned. "I liked you since the very first moment we saw each other. Of course, it only got stronger and stronger as I got to know you better. And look at me now, I'm completely smitten with you."

Sally's smile was so beautiful and so bright that she looked younger. A small blush covering her cheeks, eyes twinkling joyfully. "I love you too."

They shared yet another smile, before Paul looked at his stepdaughter via the rear-view mirror. "So, Percy, what do you say? Masquerade party. Sounds fun, doesn't it?" His tone was completely gentle and polite, yet his stepdaughter only cringed.

She'd been awfully quiet while they talked, almost hiding herself on the backseat of the car. Face a complete mask of emptiness, eyes lost on the view she had out of the window.

"Sure," Her voice came out sarcastic. "Sounds very, very fun!"

"You went to one before, right?" Paul asked nicely. "I remember you mentioning something like that a while back."

She tensed. "Yes. I did."

She had actually been to a couple of them.

One in Paris, one in Manhattan and one in Olympus.

All three of them were painful reminders of how her life used to be before Tartarus. She only wanted to forget she ever went to those events. But she couldn't, and some part of her, the part that had felt happiness while dancing and spending time with her loved ones, didn't want to forget.

Then there were two parties in Olympus. They weren't masquerades, but they could be cataloged as something very close to one.

The first had been when she was thirteen, a reward for rescuing Artemis. She had spent all the party dancing with Annabeth, and then she had her first dance with Apollo- but in those times they weren't even friends yet; she had been only a child.

And how to forget that in that same party that same day Athena had told her what her fatal flaw was? They never really got along. The goddess believed Annabeth deserved better friends. And all the while, Percy thought Annabeth deserved a better mother.

But she couldn't really speak, Poseidon hadn't been father #1 of the year. She hadn't heard from him from a very long time, and she didn't knew if she should feel worried or sad. All she knew is that some part of her was bitter.

Of course, now that the wars were over, now that he didn't need her, he wouldn't even pay her a visit.

The second party in Olympus was after the Second War.

It had been...more depressing. Lots of demigods died and they couldn't simply ignore that. Annabeth, Nico and Percy were fresh out of Tartarus, and nothing could distract them from that.

But the Nine Muses had done a great job trying to cheer them up with their music.

She danced all evening with Hermes, only stopping when Apollo took her to the gardens for a more private setting. They both were worn out because of the war. Percy because of everything but mainly Tartarus. Apollo for hiding when he should've fought, but that day it was mainly fear of what his punishment might be.

 **...**

 _"Father always takes his anger out on me," He muttered angrily. Blue eyes betraying his anger by showing how tired he actually was, tired and pained. He had his head resting on her lap, finding comfort and how she gently caressed his golden curls. "I hate it."_

 _As he rested, Percy couldn't help but notice those little details that had changed about him. It wasn't much, he really couldn't change unless he_ wanted _to. But it had been nine months without him, nine months without her memories...She wanted to memorize every single detail of his perfect self again. "Your hair is longer. I like it."_

 _"I like it too!" Apollo said. "Yet not even the thought of my undeniably handsome self makes me feel better."_

 _"Remember your motivational speech," Percy said gently. "_ You are gorgeous and people love you!"

 _He chuckled softly. It usually cheered him up, but that day it was to no use. He was too worried. Too tired. Too scared. The sunny god tried to hide it, because he hated when anyone was able to read how he really felt like, but there was no use in hiding it from Percy._

 _She knew him too well._

 _Before, it would've make him laugh the thought of a mortal knowing him. It was simply baffling and ridiculous. He was as old as the world itself and even a glance at his real form would vaporize them. No one could really know a god, not completely._

 _Yet that demigoddess was different._

 _She came crashing like the sea. Slow at first, almost peaceful. Then the wave hit, and it knocked him out completely. Persephone Jackson was like that to him. Some mortals managed to surprise him, some managed great things and won his respect and admiration. He could never anticipate those special mortals._

 _He never anticipated_ her.

 _"It doesn't feel like my father loves me," Apollo muttered._

 _"I doubt he loves anyone," Percy pointed out, before trailing her fingers down his cheek and then his chin. "But I, on the other hand, do. I love you."_

 _He felt like choking. To hear her say those words...it overwhelmed him in a way that couldn't be real. All his lovers always ended tragically. The fates loved to watch him suffer, and knowing how Zeus was, he loved to watch him suffer too. It was simply astounding to hear someone say those words so honestly._

 _He had almost believed he wouldn't hear those words in that way again._

 _Because yes, he craved love. He was tired of never finding anyone to come home to, to share his joy with._

 _Sure, he had fun seducing mortals and fucking anyone he desired, but at the end of the day, he was alone._

 _Completely and utterly_ alone.

 _Zeus had Hera. He cheated on her more times than it was possible to count, yet she always waited for him. She stayed by his side; she loved him._

 _Aphrodite had Hephaestus. She was used to say that she loved Ares more, but the truth was that when the lust went away, she had to come back home to her husband. And he was always waiting for her, even when he said he wasn't. They had a complicated love, but it was that. Love._

 _Poseidon had Amphitrite. They respected each other, he loved her more than anyone else, and she loved him back just as much. He had a million affairs, even more than Zeus himself. But his love for the sea nymph never wavered, and neither did hers for him._

 _From all the immortal couples, Apollo's favorite was Hades and Persephone:_

 _Six months separated, yet their reunions were the stuff Aphrodite lived on. He respected her, never once disrespecting her nor forcing himself on her. Since the very beginning he was a gentleman to Persephone- or Kore, as she was originally called- At first she didn't love him, but once she did...it was a love worth envying over._

 _He wanted to be loved like that, to love and be loved unconditionally._

Nothing is more tragic than loving someone to the depths of your soul and knowing the cannot and will not ever love you back. _And all his life he gave more amount of love than he received._

 _When he started to fall for that short tempered, sarcastic, green-eyed girl, he was worried of what her fate would be._

 _He didn't want her to suffer like the rest did. He could never forget them, forget all that happened._

 _Daphne- transformed into a tree just to escape from him; Hyacinthus- killed by a jealous god; Cyrene- having an affair with Ares while still dating him; Cassandra- feigning love towards him so he'd bless her with the gift of prophecy, later cursed by himself; Coronis- cheated on him while bearing his son; Marpessa- choose a mortal over him..._

 _The list went on and on and on._

 _Four thousand six hundred and twelve years worth of tragedies._

 _The ones that hurt him most were the first two; the only two he ever loved to the depths of his very soul._

 _Not all his lovers were like that; some of his seductions were successful. But it was just that; lust, seduction. He wanted the real deal. And looking then at the young demigoddess leaning over him, offering him all she had to give and even more, he couldn't breath._

 _He was the worst of the gods, the most guilt-ridden and unfocused. He kept shifting from one skill to another, from one lover to another – distracted and dissatisfied. His golden life was a sham. His coolness a pretense. His heart a lump of petrified wood after Daphne._

 _He actually swore he would never marry. He claimed it was because he couldn't decide between the Nine Muses. They were beautiful, yes, and unique. But the truth was, it was because none of them ever had his heart like Daphne did..._

 _...Like Percy Jackson does._

 _She loved him. Percy Jackson loved him in the way he always wanted someone to love him, and...he did too._

 _He was struck with the fact that he loved that mortal girl, loved her more than he'd loved anyone in a long time. He couldn't breath, he felt like choking, the lump of laurel that was his heart tightening and swelling._

 _Apollo was eternally heartbroken and lonely, yet with Persephone Jackson...he didn't feel alone or unloved._

 _He felt...different._

 _"And I love you too, my dear girl."_

 **...**

She was so distracted and lost in thoughts that when she finally came back to herself, she found that her parents had been talking for a while.

"-what changed then?" Paul frowned softly. "You went with your friend, right? Rachel?"

"No, dear. I'm fairly certain it wasn't Rachel," Sally added. "She would've gone in her personal helicopter, and I don't remember seeing the Dare Enterprises helicopter close to our apartment."

They both seemed oblivious to her cringing and tensing, until she spoke. "No. I went to a masquerade party in Paris. Hermes' reward for a special quest," She paused, her next words coming slow and hesitant. "The four of us went."

"And how was it?" Paul asked curiously. He didn't notice how Sally grimaced, only then remembering who those four friends were. At first she thought it was probably someone else form camp, but at her daughter's clear uncomfortable state, it was obvious who it really was.

She tried to give Paul a look, tell him silently to drop the topic, but he didn't look at her.

"Great," She tried for a smile, but it was halfhearted. "Annabeth and Hermes had a lot of fun together, they even forgot their small feud for the hours we were there. We explored the City of Love and went to a masquerade party. It was the first time I put on a dress willingly and felt completely pretty."

"I'm sure you looked beautiful," Paul said softly.

"It was fun," Percy shrugged, but it lacked energy and conviction. "We went to the _Louvre_ museum. Annabeth and Hermes stayed back in the Eiffel tower. She wanted to admire its structure, and Hermes just plainly wanted to bother her."

Sally wanted to ask what the thing with Hermes and Annabeth was, because she was sure that it had something to do with Luke Castellan, but before she could, her husband interrupted her.

"I didn't knew you were interested in art," Paul was interested, eyes brightening at the mention of one of the most famous museum of Europe. "Did you see the Mona Lisa?"

Percy grimaced. "I don't like the Gioconda. I mean, I think it's some amazing painting. And I can't really judge since I can't even draw sticky figures. But I simply dislike it."

"Then what do you like?"

"I like Salvador Dali's paintings, but they make my brain hurt sometimes. I really like his work on ' _The Persistence of Memory_ '. I like the theory that inspired it. But my number one favorite is and will always be Van Gogh, I just love ' _The café terrace on the Place du Forum_ ', and _'Sunflowers_ '."

Paul was impressed for a second. He believed her when she said she liked art, but she was just so distracted and so unfocused on some things that he was completely impressed and proud of her knowledge on those famous artists and paintings.

"You surprise me," He said. "You didn't mention ' _Starry Night_ ', it's usually everyone's favorite. And Salvador Dali? One of my personal favorite."

Percy beamed at him. "Thanks. And yeah, I like ' _Starry Night_ ', but I believe people focus too much on that one and ignore others that are as beautiful and important."

"Any other that you like?" Paul beamed back, excited for finally finding something else he had in common with his stepdaughter.

"I have conflicting feelings about Rousseau. I like most of his paintings, but there's just something..." She moved her hand in the air vaguely. "Something that I don't quite like."

"If you two are done," Sally interrupted, but she was smiling fondly. She loved seeing the two most important people in her life bonding. "We're almost here."

Startled, Percy looked out of the window again. She hadn't yet been to that part of town, so it was a new view for her. She had to admit that it could've the perfect place for a park, if that was indeed what this social event was for.

She saw some people painting and moving stuff, _building_ stuff. Lots of tents with lemonade posts and food charts hung at the corners, along with some tents with other objects like books and jewelry.

Social event for both gathering money and building a park.

Percy wasn't sure where the name came from. "Mystic Falls Historical Volunteer Society Day." But okay. Sure. At least it would be _distracting_. She wasn't as good at helping build stuff as a Hephaestus or an Athena kid, but she could manage.

"I've got some buckets of paint, and some wood..." Paul loaded the trunk of his car, moving slightly to the side so Sally and Percy could help him.

Percy took some brushes and a bucket of paint while Sally took the smaller pieces of wood. The demigoddess dropped the brushed and bucket of paint by the side a small gazebo, where similar things were, and moved to help Paul with the biggest and heaviest pieces of wood.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Paul asked her. "I don't want you getting hurt because of this."

Percy waved a hand. "I'll be okay."

"She's stronger than she looks like, aren't you, Percy?"

Of course _he_ 'd be there too. She sighed in annoyance. "Paul, ignore him, please. He's a dick that doesn't deserve our attention."

"I thought our deal of peace still stood," Damon Salvatore feigned concern. "Now you're calling me names?"

He was getting on Percy's nerves. Neither Paul nor Sally were supposed to know their neighbors weren't human, and now Damon was threatening the little peace she had with thinking her parents were oblivious to the great dangers of Mystic Falls.

"Our deal stands. I'm not insulting you, I'm just saying the truth." Percy faced him. "Now if you're done here, move. We have to take this-"

But Damon took Paul's spot supporting the other side of the heavy wood. "I can take this, thank you. I want to talk with Percy for a while."

Paul looked at her, asking if she was okay with that. She wasn't, but she preferred it if Paul was safely away from any Salvatore brother, so she nodded.

Paul left, and Percy moved roughly, dragging Damon towards where the other people had put similar wood, only wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"What? Not even a hello?" Damon pouted. "Did I do something to you?"

She was exasperated. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to say hello-"

"And you did. Are you happy? Yes? Great, bye." She turned and started to walk away, only to stop when his steps quickened and he fell into pace at her side. An irritated sight left her mouth, but she refused to look at him.

 _She was prideful and stubborn_ , Damon realized. She was keen on hating him, even when he accepted her deal of not harming mortals nor her. She wouldn't accept, he knew it. But he still had to try. So he went direct to the point, knowing that she'd only get angrier if he kept denying he wanted something.

"I need your help."

"Please, do tell," Percy laughed, not even stopping to think. "Why would I want to help you?"

But her curiosity was increasing. It was unusual to hear those words coming from the arrogant vampire. That much was obvious to everyone, even Percy, who was still new to town and to him. Damon Salvatore wasn't the kind of monster to ask for help.

So _what_ changed?

"I'm surprised though," Percy continued before he could answer. She stopped in her tracks, turning to meet his eyes. "It must've taken you a great deal of effort to say that. So tell me, Dracula. What do you need and why do you think I'll help you?"

"You'll help me," Damon sounded confident. That didn't really fool Percy. She knew that tactic, it was the same one the gods used. They feigned confidence to give off an air of security and power, to seem like they were in control. "Because it's about the protection of this town."

"If you touch-"

"We went over that already," Damon snapped, losing it for a second. "I know, you'll kill me. This is not about that. So listen to me."

"Careful with your tone, sweetheart," She said icily, green eyes hard and full of hatred. He had the strange realization that her glare was talking to him, telling him that as much as he was dangerous, she was more dangerous than him.

 _More strong._

Damon felt uneasy, his stomach revolving as if having a stomachache. He felt the strange urge to throw up, bile accumulating its way up his throat. Groaning loudly, he grimaced. Then, as subtle and strange as it had started, it stopped.

Percy caught herself before she could continue what she accidentally started to do, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to focus.

It was hard.

Her body was almost trembling with excitement at the familiar feeling. The power running through her veins begging to be released.

 _The sea doesn't like to be restrained,_ said Poseidon once. And the sea raging inside of her wanted to explode and crash and _destroy._

It was overwhelming, but as she found Damon already speaking again, she started to control herself.

"- I tried to kill Mason Lockwood last night and I failed."

"Surprise surprise," Percy said sarcastically. She widened her eyes and feigned a shiver, leaning towards him in a mockingly scared way. "Didn't the silver bullets work?"

Damon's glare was hard, his eyes looking more like ice than ever. "Now he's going to drive a stake through my heart any chance he gets."

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm still not seeing what the big problem is."

"He's going to kill me, kill us-" Damon pointed distractedly around, letting Percy know his brother and the blonde vampire were somewhere around there.

"And that is my problem because...?"

"Because if we don't stop him, he's going to make a spell...a spell that will give him the power to transform at will and not only on full moons." He paused, letting his words sink in. "See now? Threat to every mortal around here."

For a moment, he waited. The young girl in front of him was plainly staring at him, the hardness on her eyes making him uncomfortable, which was ridiculous. A little girl couldn't possibly _intimidate_ him. He shouldn't feel like that.

Yet he did.

"You're lying."

Damon almost stopped breathing. He _wasn't_ lying, he was simply omitting information. But she couldn't possibly know that. It was only for a small second, but he showed his surprise. Only for a second. But she saw it, and she knew then her predictions had been accurate.

He was lying.

She gritted her teeth, right foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"Look, Percy. I just want you to help me kill him. You said you've hunted all your life or something like that," He waved his hand, not giving it much importance in the moment. "I don't care. Prove it now, and help me kill that werewolf."

Percy shook her head. "Hey man, I'm all in for killing monsters, but I don't side with them. You want to kill Mason? Do it. I won't stop you, but I won't help you either."

She turned and started to walk away. She had nothing to do with the death of Mason Lockwood, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Her demigod dream had been fuzzy, yet she was almost completely positive that she had no play in his murder. It was all Damon.

She wasn't going to get involved in _that._

"Wait."

She gave another exasperated sigh, yet found herself turning slightly to look at him. He was hesitating, but in the end managed to speak. "Wait, I wasn't lying."

"Please, elaborate." Said Percy sarcastically.

"There is a spell and a moonstone. Aztec curse, I think. When the curse gets broken it will either benefits us vampires or the werewolves. It all depends on who breaks the curse first."

Percy shook her head, interrupting him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I want to be honest with you," He said. "I want your help in this, and if I'll only get it for being honest, I will be."

She couldn't buy that, yet she found herself listening. Despite everything that yelled at her not to follow him on his evident lie, she found herself speaking. "Okay. What exactly does this curse once broken?"

"For the werewolves? It will give them- all of them- the power to turn whenever they want, and not only on full moons. For us vampires..." He hesitated again, knowing she couldn't possibly take it in a good way. "It will give us the power to roam the Earth on daylight."

"But you already do. I'm not the smartest girl around here, but I'm fairly certain I've seen you out in the day...oh, wait! Like _right now_." There it was again, the look of annoyance in her face that screamed danger.

"Yes, but we have these."

Damon raised his hand, waving his fingers. He was showing her his ring, something he never did. But he figured she already knew, it couldn't possibly hurt him to point it out. He was completely sure she knew what he was talking about, but as silence covered them, his confidence wavered.

She was looking at the ring, but there was not even a small speck of interest on her sea-green eyes. She actually looked bored. That made him scowl. Didn't knew know? She acted like she knew everything about them...

"You have...a ring. Wow, dude. I am _so_ impressed! Wait, I also have a ring. Does that make me special too?" She didn't wait for an answer. "What does that has to do with my question?"

She had a small idea of what it was, but she was so overwhelmed by the loud conversations around her, and her ADHD was acting up, making her feel impatient and filled with adrenaline. She felt like she could hold the sky again, and it was all because she had way too many people around her talking and making noise and just _existing._

It was annoyingly exasperating.

She wanted it to be over as soon as possible, starting with her conversation with the vampire.

When she concentrated enough on him, she found that the monster was smiling. A big, wide grin that was triumphant and arrogant. His whole self seemed to be joyful over something she couldn't comprehend.

 _What? What did she do? Why was he smirking like that?_

"What?" She snapped, self-conscious for an unknown reason. "Why are you being all smirk-y?"

"I just thought you'd knew what this means," Damon couldn't keep the smugness off his voice. "It's good to see you don't know everything."

"I never pretended to," She gave him a look. "What's the deal with that ring?"

Damon then laughed. "No, no. Let me relish in the fact that I know something that you don't," He smiled, closing his eyes. "Ah. Yes. Anyhow, that's what the curse will do if broken. Since you see us and the werewolves as threat to mortals-"

"Because you _are_."

"- I thought you'd like to help us kill Mason and capture the moonstone to stop him from breaking the curse." He shrugged. "We kill the werewolf and solidify our truce. It's a win-win for everybody."

 _Except for the fact that you'd get the moonstone and finish the spell,_ Percy thought bitterly. _All vampires will be able to walk in the sun. Meaning: more danger for mortals._

"You thought wrong," She wrapped her jacket tighter around herself, fighting against the impulse to grab the ballpoint pen inside her jean pockets. But his stench was getting more and more unbearable with every passing second. "I don't want to fight anyone. I just want peace, that's why I did this treaty of peace with you, that's why I moved here."

Percy walked away, sticking her hands on her jacket, eyes trailing down at her own feet. She could feel the penetrating stare of Damon on her back, but she didn't turn nor stopped.

"What did she say?" Stefan Salvatore appeared at his brother's side.

Damon shoot him a look. "You know what she said."

"I told you she wouldn't cooperate."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, did I?" Damon faced his brother. "She seems to be sincere on her desires to keep herself out of trouble. She wants peace with us."

Stefan looked away, forest-green eyes looking for the lithe figure of the black-haired teenager in a over-sized blue hoodie and ripped jeans. He found her walking alone towards the gazebo, where he could still see Elena and Caroline painting.

"How can you be so sure?" Stefan faced his brother again.

"She looks tired," Damon said. "And who wouldn't be?"

He walked away, making Stefan scowl at his retreating back. That last phrase had nothing to do with Percy Jackson, Stefan knew that quite well.

Before he could find himself bickering with his older brother, he looked away. He caught Elena's eye in the distance, something that Caroline Forbes noticed, making they break their stare.

Damon was right. Who wouldn't be tired?

 **...**

"And how are you liking Mystic Falls already?"

Percy was about to take one big poster and write he words: MYSTIC FALLS SUCKS. Surely, they could come out with better questions for her, but no. All she was ever asked since she moved was that.

 _How are you liking Mystic Falls? Do you miss your old life? Where are you from? Are you staying all year?_ All they asked was bla bla bla.

"Oh, it's great." She forced a smile at those girls. She'd seen her somewhere in school, but still didn't knew who they were. Satisfied with her answer, they continued working without a second glance towards the 'new' girl.

Looking down at her own bucket of paint and brush, Percy rolled her eyes. It was the same in every school.

"How long are you planning on staying?" That voice was familiar. As she looked up, she met the doppelgänger's eyes across the gazebo. For once, she couldn't find any malice in those dark eyes. Just honest curiosity. At her side, the blonde vampire was watching her too.

"I moved here," Percy said slowly. "I live here."

 _As long as I don't blow up this school_ , She thought to herself. _Or as long as I don't get attacked._

"That's not what I asked," Elena Gilbert shook her head.

Percy thought of snapping at her, of continuing her never ending bitterness towards supernatural creatures. But that doppelgänger girl looked off. Her lips were curled up in a grimace- which seemed to be a normal thing on her- but otherwise than that, she looked tired.

"I know. But it's what I answered,"

Okay. That wasn't exactly polite, but at least she tried. She wasn't going to be best buddies with the girl suddenly. But she could acknowledge that both of them were tired. For completely different reasons, but still.

Thankfully, after that, there was no need to feign politeness. The doppelgänger and the vampire stayed together into their side of the gazebo, and Percy did the same.

 _Rachel was right,_ Percy thought distractedly. _Painting is relaxing._

"Just tell me something," Elena spoke suddenly. Percy thought she was talking to the vampire, so she ignored her. But then she insisted. "Percy,"

The demigoddess looked up. "What do you want now?"

"Are you planning on killing us?" Bonus points for being bold and fearless in asking that to someone who clearly stated that she wanted to kill them.

"We have a truce, remember," Percy moved away from where she was, approaching them so no one would hear them talk. Caroline tensed, looking between the two of them.

"And how real is that?" Percy raised an eyebrow at that question, but Elena continued. "How do we know you're not just waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack?"

"I've had the perfect opportunity, multiple times." The green-eyed girl shrugged. "I've told your boyfriends already, I intend to keep our peace. You stay on your side and leave me alone, and I do the same. Easy, even for you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'd answer you, but you'd react in a way that will make me break the treaty between us," Percy fought to hide a smirk. _Elena Gilbert was problematic_. "I do hope you understand, I only want peace."

"Then leave us alone," Elena huffed.

"Dude! I'm the one that was calmly panting alone until you two called for me. Like please, you're searching for me as much as your boyfriends are."

Elena didn't want to admit that she was right, but she'd seen her there, so close to them, that she couldn't stop herself from trying to make something out of her closeness.

"Stefan and Damon are interested in you?" Caroline asked slowly. She had been looking between the two girls, but stopped on the figure of the dark-haired girl once she heard the mention of the Salvatore brothers. "What do they want with you?"

Percy scowled. "Ask them yourself."

And she was gone, walking away before they could ask her something else.

She recognized the look on that blonde vampire's eyes. It was the same look Luke Castellan and Ethan Nakamura used to have. And considering the fact that she'd gotten that look while thinking about the Salvatore brothers...

Well, it was fairly easy to decipher that Caroline Forbes was hiding something. She just hoped it wasn't as important as the things that Luke and Ethan were hiding. But then again, it was none of Percy's business.

And she was going to keep it that way.

Of course, she should've know that after two weeks without problems, something would happen.

As she approached her parents, who were speaking with the mayor, someone appeared out of nowhere in front of her, bumping into her. At first, she thought it had been her fault, she was usually very distracted, but as she apologized, she saw who it was.

She jumped, eyes wide. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was-"

"It's my fault," Mason Lockwood smiled at her. "Miss Jackson, right? I saw you some weeks ago at the Carnival."

Percy was slightly tensed, his stench being more bearable than the vampire's, but still annoyingly noticeable _. Besides, how could she remember her?_ They hadn't talked, he had smiled at her, but she hadn't, too caught up in the fact that there were actual mortal monsters in Mystic Falls.

And now, out of nowhere, he was being talkative with her. Paranoia or not, she didn't buy it.

Why was it that every single monster in Mystic Falls was appearing out of nowhere to 'talk to her'? Did she had a poster that screamed _: HEY! Possible food/chew-toy for monsters! Come meet me!_

"Yes," Percy said stiffly. "But I fear I don't know your name."

"Mason," He extended a hand towards her. "Mason Lockwood. It's a pleasure."

"Likewise."

They shook hands, and just as the demigoddess was going to tell him to have a good day and continue walking, he moved his hand towards her lower back, guiding her gently. She wanted to slap his hand away, her heart racing wildly as she moved one hand towards her jean pocket and took her ballpoint pen out.

"I want to talk to you for a moment, do you have time?"

She gave him a look, slapping his hand away from her back. "Don't you ever touch me without my permission again."

"I apologize," Mason said. "Here, let me make it up to you with a drink." He didn't wait for her answer, he quickly paid the little girl behind the tent and took two glasses of lemonade. He drew one to his lips, and offered the other one to Percy.

She took it, but didn't drink from it. "What do you want to talk about?"

Before he could speak, she felt - and smelt- two dark presence' approaching. Mason looked over her shoulder, but she didn't need to turn to know who it was. The horrible stench of death gave it away.

It was funny, actually. She used to tease Nico, saying that he smelled like death, and know she knew monsters that _actually_ smelt that way.

"Well, Mason. Working hard?"

"Doing my part," Mason answered curtly.

"I hear you talked to Stefan here," Damon slapped his brother on the back, something that was meant to be friendly. The demigoddess between both vampires looked on edge, almost about to attack them for being so close to her. He added more fuel to her fire by wrapping his arm on her shoulder. "I see you know Percy, too."

Why was it now that these monsters liked touching her without her permission? She felt like snapping. His whole monster powder making her throat burn with their proximity. She felt like choking in his stench.

She had to close her eyes.

 _Don't make a scene, Percy. Don't make a fucking scene._

"Nice guy," Mason looked at Stefan. "Too bad nice is overrated."

"That's what I thought. Huh!"

"You have a good day, Damon." Mason's eyes were positively dark and cold now. "Percy- it was completely _divine_ meeting you." Their eyes met, his stare being one second longer than a normal one was supposed to be, and then he walked away.

As soon as he was gone, Percy stuck her fingernails on Damon's arm, making him hiss in pain as his arm was shoved back forcefully. She heard Stefan greeting her, but she was inmerse watching the retreating back of the werewolf.

Stefan watched her, watched her whole body took a defensive posture. Her lips tightened in a line, her sea-green eyes growing stormy and filling with such hardness and coldness that he was surprised she wasn't spitting acid.

"What did he want?" Damon asked her. The way he was looking at her angered her, like he expected her to answer him. As if he had the right to know. As if they were _friends._

"I would known if you hadn't interrupted us," Percy snapped at him. "Stop looking for me! Just leave me alone."

"Percy, why are you so angry?" Stefan asked calmly.

At his question, she stopped. She turned to face him, anger on her features. Stefan felt an unpleasant stomachache building, a nauseating feeling that made him almost gag. He tasted bile on his mouth, surprising him. He hadn't throw up since he was human- what...?

"I'm angry because we had a treaty!" Percy snapped, voice raising yet keeping herself at bay. "You two keep appearing _everywhere_ , and I just want to be left alone! Is it so hard? Leave me be. I won't help you, I won't befriend you, just leave me the fuck alone!"

"That's not what I meant," Stefan interrupted her, swallowing his uneasiness and the bile accumulated on his mouth. He knew that would come, her outburst. But it was partly her fault. She's the one that moved in the house next-door to them, she's the one that discovered herself to them. It was all her fault.

"I don't care what you meant," Percy spat, not quite as angry as to raise her voice, but still very agitated. "I'm tired of seeing you all the time, I just want to-"

Damon tried to ignore the little vein in her neck that was twitching, pulsating and vibrating with her blood. Rich blood that smelt so heavenly and so tempting...

He cleared his throat, forcing his eyes up to her face. "You seem almost scared. Did Mason say something to you?"

It was like talking to a fucking wall. Couldn't they understand that she didn't want to see them? That she didn't want to talk to them? She was fighting the very impulse to tear their throats out with Riptide, and they kept tempting her! They kept appearing and insisting in talking to her!

Were they suicidal?

Well, considering they attacked a werewolf- which could very easily bite them and kill them- without actually having an idea of ho to kill it, she had to believe they were idiots.

She felt like tearing her hair out.

"Nothing. He just guided me here and brought me a lemonade-" She stopped herself, only noticing that she was still gripping the glass he gave her. "Then you two appeared."

She omitted the part that actually fueled the fire burning inside of her. But the fire was starting to extinguish itself, being quickly replaced with anguish. Mason's words roamed around her head, disorienting her momentarily.

 _It was divine meeting you._

 _Divine._

He knew.

"What?" Damon frowned, noticing her hesitation.

Percy glanced at him. "I think he knows what I am." Both Salvatore brothers shared a look. She then looked over their shoulders, searching for her parents in the crowd of people all around them. But they were nowhere to be seen. "I have to find my parents and go."

"What?"

Stefan took her elbow, stopping her. She moved herself out of his grasp, but faced them again. "Don't you see? He might know what I am, if he decides to do something about it-"

"Please, girl. Vampires are stronger than werewolves," Damon pointed out. "You're stronger than me- stronger than vampires. You can take him down easily, don't you? Now you see? You have to help us kill him."

"You don't understand," Percy insisted.

"What don't we understand? You're completely confusing, Percy." Stefan spoke for his brother. "You first come here, acting like you have no care in the world. You act like you can kill anything you want, you say you're capable of hunting all of us down-"

Damon nodded. "You have a reason to attack now, he knows what you are. But you don't want to attack? It makes no sense-"

"Shut up," Percy groaned. "Of course you two don't understand. You _don't_ know me. I have my reasons for wanting peace, and if I'm completely honest I never wanted this to happen-" The words kept blurting off her mouth, coming in fast sentences.

Stefan was right, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She was scared, but not for the reason they believed. It had been a while since she'd have the opportunity to attack like that, and all she could remember was Tartarus.

In one second, she felt like screaming and wailing. She actually _had_ to attack now, to defend herself. It wasn't the same to start something because she craved the hunt and the kill- she did that to the vampires. But the werewolf knew what she was.

He knew and he intended to do something, that much was clear to her. If he didn't, he wouldn't have approached her.

But the thought of killing him...it brought back memories from Tartarus, memories she wanted to forget. She was scared, in that moment, of breaking down and turn back into that killing machine. She was scared of getting swallowed again in the darkness.

"Are you having a panic attack?" Damon asked, his voice sounding strangely worried. Her heart was thumping loudly, her breaths erratically fast, her face paling considerably.

The vampires were struck then with the realization that she was still so young. She was dangerous, scary and intimidating. But in that moment, while she looked so vulnerable and so shaken, she looked almost normal.

She looked _young._

"Forget it," Percy said. "I have to leave, I need to find my parents. They could be in danger now."

But she wasn't even thinking straight. All around her, images of Tartarus flashed, almost like her hallucinations with Kronos. She was tired, sleep-deprived, and scared. That wasn't a good combination. She would've run into the lemonade tent had Stefan not grabbed her and stopped her from falling.

"Hey, easy," He moved her to a small bench just at their side. "Sit."

"I have to leave," Percy insisted, but she couldn't distinguish between both vampires and the pole of the tent. She wasn't seeing the flash of red she saw while thinking of Tartarus- that place made her think of that color for some reason- but she was feeling groggy and dizzy.

Damon knelt in front of her, taking the glass she had been gripping and guiding it to her lips, but she didn't open her mouth. She pushed it away, making him sigh. "Drink a few sips, liquid can help with your nerves- don't ask how I know that."

"I can't drink that," She moved the glass away. "The werewolf gave it to me, it might be-"

"Poisoned," Damon moved it away from her face, only to bring it up to his nose, sniffing. One second later, he grimaced, looking up at Stefan. "Vervain."

"So he doesn't know what you are," Stefan said. "Unless vervain hurts you too..."

"No," Percy scoffed. "I mean, I don't think so." Her eyes got lost behind their shoulders, her own sea-green eyes meeting ones in the distance. "There's a blonde woman looking at us."

"Liz," Damon said, not turning. "I saw her talking to Mason-"

"Do you think he told her?" Stefan seemed worried.

As both vampires discussed the probabilities of that, the demigoddess shut her eyes tightly. Her head was a complete mess. Both metaphorically and literally. She had a killer headache. It was so painful and so intense that she for once wished she could do what gods did when they had a headache- they opened their head and removed what caused them pain.

Sometimes she used to joke with Hermes that the god Ares had took his whole brain out. That was probably why he was such an idiot-

Wait, what was she thinking? Oh, yes. The unbearable pain she was feeling.

She felt embarrassed and weak for showing such vulnerability to the vampires. But she couldn't control how she was feeling, she just exploded. She'd had panic attacks before, but it was different. It got mixed with her ADHD, and then those vampires were pushing her and pushing her, and...

And then she thought of Tartarus, and everything collapsed.

It was slowly fading, the feeling of everything collapsing over her, but her headache stayed.

"So that's what he planned to do," Percy gathered enough bits of their conversation to know what Mason tried to do. "He told that woman that you two are vampires and tried to prove it by putting vervain in my drink..."

But she still wasn't sure why it was so dangerous for the blonde woman to know they were vampires.

"It's not your drink the only one with vervain," Stefan pointed to the tent. "All of them are."

"And that woman is waiting to see what happens when one of you drink-" Percy gathered herself, ignoring how her headache made her dizzy. She stood, ignoring how Damon tried to make her sit again. "Smart."

Stefan stopped Damon, one hand on his elbow. They shared a look, the younger vampire looking worried and stressed. "If we don't drink she's going to know."

They couldn't let that happen, it would be another problem to face. There was Caroline being a spy to Katherine, who was back and didn't want to say why. Mason wanting to kill them. The curse. The moonstone. Percy Jackson also wanting them gone...

They really couldn't have the council knowing that they were the monsters they wanted dead.

Damon scowled. "What are you saying, that we should poison ourselves? Please, we can't stand that, she'll notice and know for sure that we are indeed vampires."

"I have to go," Percy said softly. They heard her, and turned to face her. She took the glass of lemonade with vervain from Damon's hand. They watched her as she took a gulp, eyes closing in concentration. Then she handed the glass back to them. "Drink."

"We can't-"

"Just do it," Percy insisted. "And please, just leave me alone for a while. I know you guys are still wanting to know what I am and how to kill me, and I still want to kill you two. But we have a treaty. So please _, please_ , don't look for me. It's better for all of us that way."

Damon moved to follow her, but Stefan grabbed his elbow. He was looking at the glass on his hand, wondering how it didn't had the same smell as before. "Let her go."

"Are you-" Before he could say more, Stefan drew the glass to his lips, taking a long gulp. Damon watched intently, waiting to see his brother coughing in pain.

But that didn't happen.

They shared a look of bewilderment, then Stefan passed the glass to his brother.

Damon took a long gulp, mentally bracing himself for the pain. But once again, nothing happened. It tasted like lemonade, sweet- _common_ lemonade. Not a single drop of vervain in it.

"Did she...-"

"She did."

Liz Forbes had a look of relief on her face that afternoon, and Mason Lockwood was confused when she faced him, telling him that he'd been wrong. Damon and Stefan weren't vampires, or they would've been hurt by the vervain.

The werewolf looked confused, but the vampires were smug. Slowly, Mason looked away, not admitting he was wrong- because he wasn't- but not knowing how to prove it to Liz. His eyes met in the distance the retreating figure of Percy Jackson, walking alongside her parents.

He glared daggers at her back. She turned slowly, still in the distance. And what she did had the Salvatore brothers laughing for the rest of the day. Percy blew him a kiss, mockingly waving a hand in goodbye.

Then it clicked him. Of course, she _could_ do that. She could clean water- she helped the vampires. But what kind of huntress helped the creatures she was hunting? Unless...

 _Of course. There's the impulsiveness I heard about_ , Mason thought.

 **...**

When Percy arrived home, the sun was setting.

She stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and feeling the last rays of sun hitting her skin. The heat was comforting, familiar. She waited for a while, moving towards the garden where Paul had set up a nice hammock. She rested there, waiting for something she knew wouldn't happen- two weeks had passed...it definitely wasn't happening.

She stayed there even when the sky darkened. Truth was, she didn't want to enter her house just yet. Sally and Paul had left to buy dinner from the Grill, leaving the girl alone.

Percy was usually okay with being alone. She preferred it that way, she didn't had to feign anything to impress anyone or to protect anyone. She was just herself, a small weak girl trying to be strong.

"I can't believe I broke in front of them..." She whispered to herself, closing her eyes.

She still felt vulnerable. Those were monsters, those were her _enemies_. And she had a breakdown in front of them.

She broke down, having a panic attack over something that never happened. Sure, she'd been scared of facing some monsters. But never scared of her own powers. Not until last month anyways. Ever since the war she'd been scared of herself and her powers...ever after Tartarus.

But it was getting worse.

She'd nearly done the same she did to Misery to the Salvatore brothers. It had been unconscious, but she'd definitely done it. Her body felt it, the craving for more was definitely there.

She nearly made them choke on their own internal fluids, and in the end, she wished she had done it.

It was irrational, but she craved the feeling that came with it. Back in Tartarus, doing that to Misery...it had been a way of _freeing_ herself. It was like...all her life, people had been limiting herself, telling her _what_ to do and _how_ to do it; forcing her to do things she didn't want to.

And doing that...it had been like throwing a big punch to all those that tried to control her. It felt like breaking free and forming her own persona. It was bad, evil. Even Annabeth had been scared of her.

But she couldn't understand it completely.

She could do that, she had the power to do that. If she could do it it couldn't be that bad, right? But it was. Everyone thought so. So her constant struggle consisted of trying to mend what broke in Tartarus.

She was trying to enter herself back into that cage of innocence and normality that she'd been at before Tartarus freed that part of her.

Because sometimes it felt as if Tartarus had freed a part of her that refused to be caged again.

Her whole meltdown earlier that day had been just because of that. It was very easy to take control of the situation, to attack and be in control. But Mason Lockwood had been in control, if even just for a second, and that had made that part of her fill with rage and the desire to show him who was actually in control- _her._

Her meltdown was part of her trying to contain herself but failing miserably.

Percy didn't even want to think of how in her meltdown she started to have flashes of Tartarus. It only lasted a little, but it was there. She knew she was in that park, yet she saw herself in Tartarus.

All around her, she'd only been able to see that wretched place...

She hadn't realized she was crying until she tasted something salty on her lips. Surprised, she moved one hand over her cheeks and under her eyes, cleaning the tears, not wanting to be crying when her parents arrived.

"There's nothing wrong with crying, my dear girl. It only means you're human enough to get hurt emotionally," The voice was soft and gentle, almost carried by the wind. "And right now, that's a good thing."

Percy couldn't help but chuckle, tears still trailing down her cheeks. She moved slightly to face the goddess standing at the right side of the hammock. She was different, her hair another color and her eyes more bright. But the demigoddess could recognize her easily.

"Hi."

The goddess allowed herself a smile at the young girl at her side. "Hello, Persephone."

She forced herself not to feel happy about seeing her again, but she held a great deal of respect to the reasonable and collected goddess.

And it had been a long time since they'd been together alone. Sometimes, all one need is a conversation with a good friend- and that goddess was her friend. If gods could have mortal friends, anyway.

"You know why I'm here, don't you?" Artemis asked. At the girl's nod, the gorgeous goddess moved her head to the side, facing the demigoddess. "Very well. Then it's time we have a little chat, don't you think?"

Long silence stretched its way around them, as it usually happened after someone asked to have a little chat with someone. Percy was trying to collect her thoughts, all while the goddess waited patiently.

Percy could feel the stare of the goddess on her, almost studying her. She knew she probably looked horrible- that's how she felt. But for once, she did not cared. It was different with Artemis, she wouldn't judge her for having a moment of vulnerability.

"Can I ask you a question, Lady Artemis?"

"You _may_ ," Artemis corrected gently.

"Are you here because I-"

"No," Artemis interrupted. "I don't answer to prayers not meant for me, even if they were meant for my twin brother- _specially_ if they're meant for him. I'm here because I want to be. I don't know if you're conscious of this, Percy, but you have the respect of many of the gods, myself included. I came because I want to know how you are feeling. I heard some things..."

"Hermes?" Percy swallowed. She wouldn't feel betrayed if he was the one that told her, at least it was a friend. What really made her uneasy was the thought of _all_ the gods knowing.

"From whom I heard it it's not really relevant, dear. But no. It wasn't him," Artemis paused. "I'm worried about you, Percy." It was strange to hear that coming from someone that physically looked to be thirteen years old.

The green-eyed teenager bit her lower lip, a little bit hesitant. "I've been seeing things, and it scares me they might be more than just...flashes and hallucinations."

"You are conscious that the disease known as PTSD has exactly that as a side effect from suffering said condition, aren't you?" The silver-eyed goddess watched her. She looked nauseous. "I know it must be hard for you, my girl. After all you've been thorough it can't certainly be easy facing this-"

"It's not that," Percy interrupted boldly, only to then stop. "I am so sorry, Lady Artemis-"

But the goddess shook her head. "It's alright, dear. Continue."

She took a deep breath. It was still easier to talk to Artemis than it was to talk to any other of her friends.

Maybe it was because the goddess had a collected and stoic personality, or maybe it was because unlike her mortal friends, Artemis could choose to correct her and advice her wisely.

...Don't get her wrong, her mortal friends were great at giving advice, but Percy usually felt like she was bothering them with her troubles.

With Artemis she couldn't feel like that because it was the goddess that offered to guide her and advice her in what was best.

Whatever it was, Percy was glad to finally have someone to tell about Kronos.

"I've been seeing Kronos lately, and I know that it's could be a side effect of PTSD, if I even have that. But when I see him, he's...he did the trick of time he used to do-"

"He stopped time?" Artemis seemed suddenly more stoic and pragmatic than ever. Her cold eyes scanned the girl for any signal of dishonesty. "Are you certain about that?"

She nodded. "He keeps saying that he's back and...I'm honestly scared, Lady Artemis. I don't want to face him again, I...haven't been sleeping these past weeks only to escape from seeing him. I see him every time I close my eyes."

"Hallucinations, you say?"

"That's what we thought," Percy started to explain. "Nico had some of them after he left Tartarus, so I thought that it was just that. But then the time stopping trick happened..."

"Dear," Artemis stopped her. The goddess surprised the daughter of Poseidon by gently taking her hands on her graceful ones. It was meant as a reassuring contact, yet it was unusual given the fact that the goddess didn't like to be touched. "Hallucinations do that. They make things that are not real seem like they are. You have to considerate the fact that it might be just a simple hallucination-"

Percy swallowed. "I know that. I understand, but that feeling...it was just like old times. It felt just like when he actually stopped time. It felt _real."_

The goddess looked up at the sky, eyes getting lost in the stars. "I'll speak to Hades. He can take a look at Tartarus, see how our grandfather is doing. For now, we can't do anything," She looked down again, facing the other girl. "Have you considered taking medication?"

Percy felt like choking. _Medication?_. "My family doesn't know. I-I don't want to worry them."

"I understand," Artemis said. "I'll see if I can talk to my brother. Maybe he can do something-"

"But I've been praying to him," Percy said, unable to stop herself. "He doesn't care. He hasn't done anything to help me, to listen to my prayers."

"He listens," Artemis assured her. "But there's much going on, my dear girl. A lot of things are happening, things you wouldn't understand."

The demigoddess looked away, those words painfully alike the ones her twin brother had said once.

"And I assure you, Percy: He cares," The goddess sighed as thunder illuminated the place. "I'm afraid I've been discovered. I must go now, but know I will investigate if our grandfather is indeed regenerating. If he's not, then I'll speak to Apollo,-" She paused. "And if you're not comfortable with it, I'll speak to Asclepius."

"His son?"

"He's a great doctor, even more skilled than my hothead brother. He could help you," Artemis walked a few steps, waiting for Percy to join her. "Will you be okay?"

All the goddess received was a shrug, which didn't really reassured her much. "I suppose. Somehow I always am."

Artemis gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead, somehow managing to while being shorter than her in the disguise of a thirteen year old girl. "Stay strong, Persephone. You're not alone."

"I know I'm not..."

"I'm serious, Percy. You've faced many things before, but the hardest one you will ever face is yourself."

A loud bark shook the whole place, followed by small yelps of happiness that the demigoddess recognized immediately.

Percy turned. In the distance, an enormous hell-hound raced towards where she was, a blonde demigoddess on its back.

A gasp left Percy's mouth as she was overcome with happiness. She turned to face the goddess, but she was gone already. She smiled, a sincere smile for once, looking up at the moon, "Thank you, Lady Artemis."

"Seaweed brain!"

Percy turned to face the upcoming girl and the hell-hound. Her joy helping her forget her pain for a moment. She started to run to meet them, "Wise girl! Mrs. O'Leary!"

 **...**

 _"What's bothering you?" The demigoddess whispered softly, as if scared of the answer she could receive. "Is it about your punishment?"_

 _"I don't know what my punishment will be," The sun god shook his head slowly, eyes distracted and unfocused. His long fingers wrapped around the mortal's hands. Playing with them like he would play with his ukulele. It was a nervous habit he'd developed, and the demigoddess knew it._

 _"The other times..." Percy started. "What was it?"_

 _Apollo refused to answer. His past punishments were...gruesome. Unbearable. Impossible to repeat and completely humiliating. He didn't want her to laugh at him, even if he knew she wouldn't do it in a mean way._

 _"I'm scared," The god blurted out, hating himself for bearing her with his pain and mental turmoil. But she was his companion; the young girl offered him her honest companionship without expecting anything in return. Apollo knew he could trust her..._

 _Yet he felt like a complete burden._

 _"Of what?" Her voice was soft, understanding. Never once judging him for his lack of bravery in that moment._

 _"Whenever I angered the other gods, those close to me were struck down," He said, voice too low for the demigoddess to hear._

 _He looked up, meeting her sea-green eyes. Eyes filled with humanity and passion, of fire and love._

 _She was so human. So filled with hopes and dreams, she was a sunny complexion to his darker state. As famous poets would say, she was the light to his darkness. The sun to his moon._

 _She was a flicker of light amid an ocean of darkness._

 _Truth was, he was terrified of losing her._

 _He could live without her, just as she could very easily live without him. They didn't need each other to be happy nor successfully, yet being together made them happy. They weren't dependent on each other like some couples were, for them that wasn't love, that was simply an unhealthy obsession._

 _But the thought of actually having her, as innocent as she still was compared to himself and to other gods, hurt in_ any _way, destroyed him completely._

 _Apollo was terrified of what his father might do. Zeus couldn't hurt her directly, that would start a quarrel with Poseidon. But as usual, those he loved always paid the high price of doing so._

 _"Did you say something?" Percy asked softly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't heart you."_

 _"I'm afraid of losing you."_

 _She gave him a look full of compassion, taking his face into her hands and caressing him softly. Her thumbs tracing his cheeks in slow comforting patterns. It wasn't the first time that he'd said something like that to her, but it felt like the most important._

 _"You won't lose me."_

 _"How can you be so sure? My father-"_

 _"To Tartarus with Zeus!" Percy snarled, pent-up anger at the god growing stronger by every passing second. "To Tartarus with him, with all of them. Think about us," She kissed him, trying to control her outraged heart. But kissing the man she loved didn't really help control her heartbeat._

 _In his post-make out bliss, Apollo distractedly realized another strikingly comparison the daughter of Poseidon had with her father's realm: She had the power to drown him. Her kisses, her touch, her love...it crashed down into him and drowned all his doubts and his guilt._

 _"What was that for?" He chuckled, breaking their kiss. "Not that I'm complaining."_

 _She joined their foreheads together, eyes still closed. "I'm finally happy with someone, I'm not going to let anyone take that away."_

 _"You don't need me to be happy," Apollo reminded her gently._

 _"I don't need anyone to be happy," Percy smirked. "But that's not what I meant."_

 _"I know what you meant," Apollo reassured her, leaning down to capture her lips on his own. "I love you, girl."_

 _She laughed at his tone of voice, instantly lifting both their spirits with her next sentence. "Me too, dude."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Percy Jackson $ the Olympians nor The Vampire Diaries.

English is not my native language, so I'm deeply sorry for any mistakes I might have.

(All comments are answered via private message, but since this was on guest...)

 **Guest:** I know she is very moral, of course she's like that. Those are not principles, that's her taking very careful moves, she can't just be super reckless all the time. And no, my fem!Percy is not that different from her male counterpart, I don't like the idea of changing everything just because their gender changed. They're still the same character. Mhm, I know, very judgy. But she's got a reason for that, witches aren't exactly nice to demigoddess, and Bonnie herself wasn't. You'll know 'how the hell Mason knows she's a demigoddess' as soon as Percy herself finds out how he knows. But no, it's not that he can smell her and instantly know. As for Apollo and Percy, I know she's being very broken about it, but she's got all the right in the world to be upset; it doesn't mean she's going to throw herself at him just like that, she's got dignity. I didn't mean to make it seem like that, she's simply grieving, and would just like to see him being there for her in such a hard moment of her life. She's not going to cry and beg to be back with him, she's simply trying to cope with all that changed.

 **...**

 **Chapter 8**

 **...**

"What exactly have you gotten yourself into, Percy?"

Two seventeen years old girls were sitting cross-legged on a small bed, a gigantic hell-hound happily wiggling its tail as the raven-haired girl scratched its head in a distracted way, all while the blonde girl looked almost exasperated.

It had only been a couple of hours since the daughter of Athena entered Mystic Falls in the back of Mrs. O'Leary, and the first thing they've done was embrace so tightly that they weren't sure which limb belonged to whom.

Afterwards, Annabeth had told Percy that her father had stayed behind taking care of some preparations for their trip, but that he'd drive in a couple of days to collect her. Since Sally and Paul had arrived, their night consisted of genuine laughter and cheap dinner.

But after a while both of them moved upstairs, taking Percy's very excited hell-hound with them, and tried to speak what they couldn't in front of Percy's parents.

"You offend me, Annabeth. I haven't gotten myself into anything! It's not my fault that I'm literally living next-door to a bunch of vampires that want to kill a werewolf that probably knows what I am, and that both parties want a stupid stone that contains an Aztec curse or some nonsense like that."

"You forget something," Annabeth gave her a serious look. "Your little vamp-neighbors want to murder you yet you have a treaty of some kind-"

"For the record, I just want peace," Percy pointed out. "I honestly thought that if I just ignored them they wouldn't be a threat anymore. I am so tired of fighting."

"Ignoring something won't make it go away." Annabeth paused. "While we're at it, why don't you tell me about your issue? Last time we spoke you told me you weren't sleeping, which as much as I understand your reasons, is a very stupid idea. Have you had any other hallucinations?"

"None this past week," Percy couldn't catalog her small breakdown in the park as a hallucination. "And believe it or not, I _am_ sleeping. Just that not every single day..."

Not after accidentally flooding the house after a particularly nasty nightmare.

" _Percy,_ " After a small pause, the blonde demigoddess cleared her throat a little, grey eyes locking with sea-green ones. "And what did Apollo say about all of this?"

Percy raised her eyebrows at her, "What do you mean?" She straightened her back, and stretched her legs until they were sided with Annabeth's, ignoring the way her heart seemed to thump louder in her chest at his mention.

"Don't try to act dumb with me, you know what I mean."

"No, I really don't."

She received an irritated look, along with, "He's _always_ dealt with your insecurities, one little mention about Kronos and he always managed to find a glimpse of him in Tartarus, now after your little incident I am sure you must've told him. You did, didn't you?"

The raven-haired demigoddess paused a little, but ended up sighing, not seeing a reason to lie to her best friend; she knew her too well. "I didn't talk to Apollo, but Artemis was here earlier."

"You called _Artemis_?"

"She says she's going to talk with Hades to see if they can check Tartarus and try to find any signal that could mean that Kronos is regenerating quicker, or something like that. If they find he's not, then...well, you're smart enough to know what that means."

"PTSD," Annabeth muttered, ignoring how her friend cringed at those letters. She was silent for a small moment, looking lost in thoughts. In the end, she looked up. Percy was looking down at her hands, quietly tracing small invisible lines over a small golden ring she wore.

"I like Nico's term better. Makes me feel a little less sick."

"That's exactly why he invented that term, you know? He didn't want to admit he was suffering."

Percy flinched. "I know." She paused momentarily, before looking up at Annabeth's face. "How long will you stay with me?"

She sounded vulnerable, but neither of them cared. Annabeth sighed a little before answering, "Just three days. I tried to convince my father of letting me stay the whole week, but we have to continue our trip. Magnus was spotted again."

"Was he?" Percy asked distractedly. "I hope you two find him."

"Me too." Annabeth hesitated a little. "Percy, do you want to talk about-"

"No." At the way her friend looked at her, she tried to explain herself. "What's there to talk about, Wise Girl? I can't do anything until Artemis tells me what's going on down in Tartarus. And either way, whatever it is, I know it's going to be bad for me."

"A war or mental illness, wow, Percy," Her voice was thick with irony. "I wonder what could be worse. Oh, yeah! A _war_ ," She paused, adopting a softer tone. "Look, I know you don't like the thought of being mentally sick-"

"I have dyslexia and ADHD, I really don't need another stupid mental illness to torment me."

She continued over Percy. "I know the thought of being mentally sick bothers you, but it's way better than getting involved into _another_ war. Because if Kronos is indeed regenerating that's what it means, another war will rage. And with war comes death, pain, loses...we can't afford to be involved in something like that again."

Another war would only mean more pain for them, more suffering to add to their never-ending list of torments. None of them were ready for that.

"I know, and my demigod résumé says I've been directly involved in two wars, and you know how much I hate changing it...I would hate how pretentious it would look if I added another one to the list. I don't want to end up looking like Hercules."

"He was a royal dick," Annabeth looked disgusted. "And while we're at it, you know, talking about royal dicks, why hasn't Apollo-"

Percy snapped without meaning to. " _Enough_ about Apollo, Annabeth." She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "He's not doing anything to help me. I've prayed to him. Every single night. And I'm still sick, I'm still seeing things that aren't here, and I'm still trying not to explode-"

 _I'm still being tempted by darkness._

Not that Apollo could do anything to stop her from feeling tempted by the darkness, as cliché as that sounded. No one could, it was something only she could deal with.

But still...he could've helped just by being there for her.

But he wasn't, and that hurt like hell.

It was painful because in moments like that, Percy finally realized that she didn't just lose her first boyfriend and the first man she ever loved, no, she lost one of her closest best friends, too.

Percy looked at the verge of tears, and embarrassed, she looked away.

She thought her friend would pity her, or gave her an exasperated sigh for her outburst, but she didn't. Instead, she spoke clearly and without any sign of hesitation, leaving no room for any argument. "He promised, Percy."

"Yeah, well," Percy swallowed, thinking, _so did Luke, and he still betrayed you and Thalia_ , but not voicing her thoughts, knowing she could hurt her friend if she did. "We know for a fact that gods excel at breaking promises, I'm a living proof of that."

"Look, I hate him for breaking your heart-" Annabeth started.

"We broke each other's heart," Percy shook her head. "It wasn't a one-sided thing. I hurt him as much as he hurt me."

"-And I'm not trying to defend him," She continued over Percy. "But maybe there's a reason as to why he's changed towards you."

"Yes, there's a reason, I don't know if you can understand it, but I'll still say it: We fucking broke up."

Some days it seemed so unbelievable the thought of not being together anymore. After years of courting (she was quite hard to win over, she wouldn't simply fall for his cheesy pickup lines and his charm; she fell for the _real_ him, the Apollo she knew when they became close friends), years of dates, of friendship, of being together...it was over.

He'd been a very prominent part of her life for years, and now he simply wasn't.

It was harder and harder to adapt to being without him again. Those months she spent without her memory didn't count, she'd survived solely of the thought of finding out who the mysterious man with golden hair and soft blue eyes was, because all she could remember was his name and they way he always kissed her when she did something stupid.

 _He must've kissed me a lot,_ She had thought once in New Rome. And she'd been completely right.

It was hard to think it was over, more so when she couldn't forget the way he'd laughed after seeing her all those months later in New Rome, and the way he had instantly jumped off the Argo II and enveloped her in his strong arms, hugging her for a very long time...

Apollo had defied Zeus and his sacred rules by traveling with Leo, Annabeth, Piper, Jason and Coach Hedge just to see her again in New Rome. He'd risked his sanity, torn between his Roman and Greek counterpart, just to see her again.

And now he wouldn't even answer her prayers.

The change was...startling.

"You're impossible," Annabeth sighed, pursing her lips. "Forget it, I won't have a fight with you over that stupid god."

Both of them froze for a moment, waiting to hear the thunder that would surely follow her insult. But it never came, which seemed to make the raven-haired demigoddess moody.

" _Fine_ ," Percy snapped a little. "We won't talk about him."

"Fine," Annabeth echoed back, resting her back against the pillows. It had only been a couple of second when she continued, "But what I don't understand-"

She ignored Percy's groan and the way she threw herself dramatically to the floor, hiding her face in Mrs. O'Leary's neck.

"You might be the most smart girl I know, Wise Girl, but you can't let a topic go, can't you?" Her voice was muffled by the wild mane of hair that covered the hell-hound, and she lazily scratched her dog.

"Give me a break, Seaweed Brain, it's been months since we last had a conversation face to face. We have a lot to discuss."

"I know, I know. But I was hoping we could have a nice, relaxed day and then we could discuss all this mess-" Percy motioned around distractedly, gently scratching Mrs. O'Leary as she turned, resting her back against the hell-hound's stomach. "Y'know, vamps, wolves, Leo being alive, Jason getting hit by another brick, trauma, whatever you want to talk about."

The idea seemed to please Annabeth, because she grinned. "Can we go to the beach?"

Percy grinned too, suddenly feeling very relieved. "I love that you know what I meant by a relaxed day."

"It's settled then? Tomorrow we'll take Paul's car and look around for a beach, and if we don't find one-"

"Don't even say that!" Percy interrupted her, eyes wide and fearful. "I can't live in a town that has no beaches! What kind of sick and twisted place would this be?"

"You're unbelievable. The thought of living somewhere without a beach terrifies you more than the reality that is living in a town infested with mortal-monsters. Percy, you truly never cease to amaze me."

"And I never will," The green-eyed girl gave her a shit-eating grin, the one that used to annoy her to no end. "But you know you love me anyways."

"I do," Annabeth sighed. She paused a little, looking down at her watch. "It's late, we should sleep if we're to head out tomorrow morning."

"I can't sleep, remember? You go ahead and rest, I'll just read for a little while-"

Percy had started to flip over Artemis' book when it was suddenly in the hands of her best friend, who eyed it in complete curiosity and a spark of interest, to then place it gingerly on the nightstand.

"Annabeth-" Percy started.

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain. I'll be with you..." The blonde demigoddess intertwined their fingers together, smiling kindly at her best friend. "We'll be together."

She could have promised that it would be better, that nothing was going to happen that night. But she didn't. What she said instead was way better. After everything they went through, it was easy to believe they could face anything if they just stayed by each other's side.

 _Anything._

So Percy joined her on the small bed.

Both of them were fighting their own demons and trying to survive what was life after Tartarus, yet together they fell asleep, holding into each other as tightly as they had that fateful day of their fall.

And for both of them, it was, probably, the first night in months where they could sleep peacefully.

No dreams, no visions, no memories of a cold, harsh and dangerous place filled with monsters and enemies.

Nothing at all, just blissful darkness.

 **...**

Percy knew that there was meant to be some kind of comradeship between her mother and her best friend. They were the ones to look for her nonstop when she disappeared, but not even in her wildest dreams did she imagine just how close had Annabeth and Sally became.

When she woke up, Annabeth was gone. Fear filled her senses, and she had almost jumped down the stairs, fearing the worst. But what she found wasn't remotely scary, it was actually very sweet and nice.

Sally was making breakfast side by side with her, both of them laughing softly about something as Paul watched them with a fond smile by the table, a newspaper on his hands.

"Good morning, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth called without turning. "Take a seat and close your mouth, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes."

Percy closed her mouth, realizing she had been staring at them. Swallowing down her embarrassment, she moved forwards and took a seat across from Paul in the small table, who winked at her.

"How?" Was the only thing Percy asked.

"Nine months, Percy," Paul reminded her gently. "Lots of things happened, things you're yet to know."

"I can see that."

In a matter of a few minutes, Sally and Annabeth joined them on the table, the blonde demigoddess helping Percy's mom to serve the four of them breakfast.

"Don't look so surprised, Percy," Annabeth said pleasantly, eyes shimmering as she took a seat at her side. She was pale and still in her pajamas, her messy blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail, but Percy thought she looked like the perfect daughter. "I'm not just a bratty guest here, I'll help as much as I can."

"You're making me look bad, I never help with breakfast," Percy mumbled.

"Maybe it's time you start helping around." Sally called from her spot in front of Paul. "Pancakes?"

"Yes, please. Thanks."

"When did you wake up?" Percy asked quietly, taking a small bite of her blue pancake. "You scared me. I woke up and you weren't there. Not even Mrs. O'Leary was there, I thought..." She hesitated, feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said sincerely. "You looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't want to bother you. I took Mrs. O'Leary outside because she wanted to poop, and Sally would probably kill you if Mrs. O'Leary did it inside the house. You know how...um, vast can hell-hound's drippings be."

Percy held back a few giggles. "I know, the image of Travis submerged in her shit is still implanted in my memory-" Her friend snorted, clearly remembering that incident.

After a small second, her lips curled into a small smirk. "You can say he truly was full of shit."

This time Percy wasn't able to hold back her giggles. Her parents shared a look and smiled down at their plates, rejoicing in the image of their daughter laughing again after so many weeks of seriousness and forced smiles.

They had a nice morning. Paul was staying home with Sally that day, helping her find inspiration for her novel, and had therefore agreed to let his step-daughter borrow his car. After a long speech from Sally begging them both to be careful, she seemed happy to know that her daughter was going out of the house.

"She never goes out," Sally told Annabeth in exasperation. "Over the last weeks she's only been out for school, the carnival where Damon invited her, and yesterday for a social event-"

"Damon?" The blonde demigoddess locked eyes with her friend for a brief moment, asking her with her eyes. At the small nod she received, she scowled. "Well Sally, I'll assure you that these three days I'll be here I'll make sure Percy goes out and enjoys herself more."

"Mm, Wise Girl, _you_ 're the only entertaining thing my life has. Can you blame me for not going out?"

"I won't blame you for something you can't control, like drooling-" Annabeth grimaced. "Which by the way, you drooled all over me last night."

"That's how I show my love," Percy defended herself, trying to fight the blush that was about to appear on her cheeks.

Annabeth's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she retorted easily, "Did you do that to Apollo too or is it only me you drool all over?"

It was impossible not to notice how Percy's parents tensed immediately at that, looking sour and sharing a grimace, both of them thinking that she was going to shut herself at the mention of the god. But Percy seemed not to notice, or not to care about it, because she looked at her friend and smirked.

"There wasn't much sleeping when we were together, if you know what I mean."

Paul choked on his coffee and groaned loudly. "Percy-"

"What?" Said demigoddess gave him the most innocent look she could muster, all while ignoring the small giggles the daughter of Athena was trying to hide by stuffing her mouth with food.

Sally shook her head at Paul, silently telling him to ignore it. "It's not like we didn't knew they were having sex, Paul. It's nothing."

Annabeth looked at her friend while guiding the last piece of her waffles to her mouth, but the other girl was paying more attention to her small mountain of blue pancakes than to her parents, a frown on her face.

"...Your mom is pretty cool about this stuff, isn't she?"

Percy looked at her out of the corner of her eyes, stabbing her pancake with her fork rather rudely and shoving a big mouthful into her mouth. "She got pregnant with me when she was in college, Wise Girl. And to a god nonetheless. Of course she's pretty cool about this stuff."

Sally looked in her general direction, her whole body screaming disapproval. "Percy, I can hear you perfectly well."

"I know. That's why I said it."

Sally narrowed her eyes, "Persephone-"

Paul looked between them, wanting to avoid a fight. They almost never discussed, but he didn't want them to in that moment, not when they had a guest in the house. So he opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Annabeth, did you hear there's going to be a masquerade ball? I was hoping that since you're here now Percy would want to go with us."

The blonde demigoddess looked startled, but nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. That sounds lovely, Mr. Blofis. But I think we should go upstairs to get ready for our day. Percy, c'mon."

Percy moved her half-eaten mountain of pancakes away from her, and stood from the table too, sea-green eyes set firmly on her mother's sky blue ones.

"Watch your tone, Persephone. Mind your manners, and don't look at me like that."

There was a tapping sound echoing the whole house, making them all stop and glance around, frowning. When the older woman looked back at her daughter, the sound seemed to get louder and louder again, and then the sink exploded.

"What!"

Paul and Sally jumped from their chairs and ran towards the kitchen, trying to appease the long stream of water that was now flooding the floors. The demigoddess jumped up, ready to help, but her mother snapped at her, "Go upstairs! Go! Go! Now."

"It was not my fault!" Percy said indignantly, trying to move forwards but finding that her stepfather was blocking her way. "Let me help-"

"Go to your room!" Sally boomed at the same time that Paul yelled a "Percy, get away, the water is reacting to your presence!"

As if on cue, both adults in the room seemed to get soaked impossibly fast, a wave of water hitting them straight in the face and throwing Paul into the floor.

Percy moved forwards, set on controlling the water and helping them, but found a hand pulling her back from all that mess. Without muttering another word, Annabeth dragged her away from there, keeping her grip firm and steady.

"Wise Girl-"

"Not now, Percy," Annabeth sounded distressed. "Let's go upstairs."

Annabeth kept staring at her off the corner of her eyes, and it was annoying Percy to the extent that she couldn't stand it anymore, and turned to face her at the edge of the stairs."What? Annabeth. _What_?"

"What was that?" Annabeth demanded. "Percy you made the sink explode."

"It wasn't my fault," But the lie left a sour taste on her mouth, and she had to swallow thickly, trying to drown that uneasy feeling.

Percy turned away from her abruptly, walking swiftly towards her room. Annabeth followed her, walking just as quick as her, and closed the door behind their back. For a long moment, Percy did nothing but look around her drawers for the clothes she was going to wear, but her hands were trembling.

"Percy. Look at me."

She didn't.

"Let's just get out of here already," Percy breathed. "I need fresh air."

But outside, the fresh air did nothing to appease her nerves, because all she could smell was the familiar yet unwelcome stench of human monsters. Her best friend was so startled by the smell that she actually froze at the porch, then turned back to stare at the Salvatore's house.

" _How the fuck can you stand this_?" Annabeth swore loudly, her nose crunched with disgust.

"I'm barely keeping myself from throwing up, Wise Girl. And watch your language."

Annabeth flipped her off. "Fuck off, this smells like putrefaction and...ugh. This is worse than Mrs. O'Leary's shit."

"Obviously, my dog's shit is way better than some corpses walking around sucking blood," Percy said impulsively, to then close her eyes and groan. "I can't believe I just said that."

Her friend offered her a shrug, before both of them moved towards the garage. Both entered Paul's car and as Percy ignited the car and turned the radio on, Annabeth had her eyes glued to the silhouette of the Salvatore's house.

"The stench comes from there."

"Really? I never noticed." Percy gave her friend the most sarcastic look she could come out with, and they drove away, leaving behind both houses. "That's the Salvatore's house, a.k.a the vamp nest; that's why it smells so bad."

"Have you ever been inside?"

"Do I look like I have a death wish? Or rather, do I look like I want to murder them?" She paused a little, and then grimaced. "...don't answer neither of those questions."

Her friend snorted.

A comfortable silence covered them, but it didn't last much. They started talking- not about problems- but about silly old memories of their years in Camp Half-Blood, and of their plans for when they would move to New Rome together. They talked of their friends too, and Percy discovered Piper had been writing to Annabeth almost nonstop.

(To which she obviously said, "Should I be worried you're becoming her best friend now? Are you going to change me for her, Wise Girl? Oh my gods, is it because she's prettier than me? Annabeth!")

("Don't be stupid, Seaweed Brain." Was the answer she received along with an eye-roll and an amused smirk.)

Percy asked her if she had heard of Frank and Hazel, to which Annabeth replied that she had not, but that Reyna had called her and told her that Camp Jupiter was running smoothly.

("Oh. So even Reyna calls you but no one calls me? I'm offended.")

("You're not offended, you're just jealous.")

In the end, they talked about almost anything that had happened in the small- yet torturous- amount of time they hadn't seen each other. It was everything and nothing at the same time.

They had just crossed a rusty part of town when Percy stiffened suddenly, her hands on the steering wheel squeezing hard before relaxing abruptly. Her whole body seemed to give one long, content sigh, and then she smiled the biggest and whitest smile Annabeth had ever seen.

"I found it," Percy breathed.

Her young and pretty face had been, as always, stuck on that look that was the perfect mix between a bitch-face and a scowl, but suddenly it was all light and smiles.

"Where?"

"Not too long ahead of us, hang on-"

And as the daughter of Poseidon said, just ahead of them, in the distance, Annabeth was able to see tiny speaks of gold and the clearest blue crashing together. The air was salty now, even them inside the car could smell it, and everything seemed to change in Percy.

She was out of the car before the other demigoddess could say anything at all, which made her laugh.

"Wait, Seaweed Brain!"

The daughter of Athena followed her best friend out of the car and walked alongside her until they reached the fine line between sand and sea. The place was deserted but beautiful, a little hidden from the rest of the town. The water looked clean and clear, the sand had no trash anywhere.

"This place is beautiful," Annabeth admired, still looking around. "And it's empty, which is a plus."

Percy still hadn't said anything, which made her turn to look at her. She had closed her eyes, arms open as if to hug the air around her, the soft breeze tousling her curly hair. Another sigh left her mouth, and then she let herself fall to the water, almost gracefully, her body not making any sound as the waves seemed to become her.

The blonde demigoddess chuckled softly before taking her shoes off, and siting cross legged on the sand, patiently waiting for Percy to emerge out of the water while she enjoyed as the sun gently caressed her already lightly-tanned complexion, her toes splashing the small waves that crashed quietly with the sand.

"Have I told you you look like a diamond with the sun shining so brightly over your golden hair?"

Percy had emerged from the deep sea, a look of pure relaxation on her face, her words lazy and sluggish. She moved so she was floating above the surface, the once savage waves changing so they were as calm as the girl floating in them, and Annabeth saw her close her eyes and enjoy the sun too.

"You've mentioned it before, yes," Annabeth allowed herself a small smile. "Is the water any good?"

Her reply was another happy sigh. "I feel like my soul is healing. No, don't look at me like that, I'm serious. It's ridiculous, but I just feel so calm here, like...I think the water is healing me. Not the brokenness inside of me, but the little things- like those moments when you feel awful but something little happens and it's like remembering all that's good and nice in the world? Something like that."

"You're rambling," The blonde demigoddess smiled, but nodded slowly. "I know what you're trying to explain, it's a very nice feeling."

"That's how I feel right now."

They were in comfortable silence, the blonde demigoddess resting against the sand as her best friend stayed swimming and floating in the water. After a couple of minutes, the silence was broken when a couple of kids ran past them, laughing and splashing around in delight. Behind them, a couple of adults sighed and followed them to the other side of the beach.

Being broken out of their comfortable zone, the blonde demigoddess frowned a little before raising into a sitting position. Her friend seemed unfazed by the sudden laughter and squeals in the once silent beach. She was contently floating around, occasionally submerging herself and coming out a couple of minutes later.

"Last time I saw Jason, he was talking of holding an Argo II reunion monthly," Annabeth told her best friend as soon as she remembered. "With all of us; him, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Nico, Reyna, you and me."

"And Will," Percy muttered distractedly, her lips moving upwards. "Nico's got a doctor's note for mood disorders."

"Excuse me? Mood disorders?"

She waved her hand. "Long story, Nico was telling me about it a while ago. Said he'd started to develop horrible tendencies when alone, so his doctor- which is conveniently Will Solace- made him a note. He's supposed to stay with someone in the dinning pavilion and other places where he used to sit alone, or horrible, strange things start to happen."

The blonde demigoddess laughed. "Horrible things?"

"Cracks open in the floor, Zombies crawl out and start roaming around..." Percy listed, grinning as she remembered the unashamed smile the son of Hades had given her while telling her about that. _Nico di Angelo had actually smiled!_ Percy was so happy about that.

"He's misusing his powers to get what he wants," Annabeth announced, eyes shining.

"Obviously." Percy sniggered. "I can't believe Chiron brought it, though."

"He's got a doctors note, Chiron's gotta believe that."

"So, when's this reunion?" Percy asked curiously. "Have you guys decided a date already?"

"They're yet to decide the date, but I'm sure they'll call to tell us."

They talked a little while about that, wondering what they could do in that monthly reunions they planned. Probably talk a lot about what they're doing now that the war is over and they're back to their respective camps. Percy was dying to know how Frank and Hazel were, but never found enough time to call them.

"Just do it," Annabeth smiled. "I'm sure they'll be more than happy to hear from you."

"Yeah, but he's Praetor now. That's a busy job, believe me, I was one too-"

"For, like, five minutes," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "They literally saw you for the first time and proclaimed you Praetor."

Percy looked amused. "I had to defeat Polybotes to show how worthy I was, Wise Girl. They decided I was a good replacement for Jason after only knowing me for five days. That's how awesome I am."

"And very modest too," Annabeth teased her. "You were Praetor for only a day, Seaweed Brain. Don't act so important."

"Ah, details," Percy grimaced.

From that they moved to the topic of Leo Valdez. Both wondered where could he be, the notice of him being alive only appeasing them a little since that meant nothing. Not until he managed to find his way back to them, until then, it was pointless to try and look for him.

He was probably too far away for them to find him.

The blonde demigoddess grimaced a little after a while, "Have you heard of Poseidon lately?"

Percy faltered, her eyebrows forming a small scowl. "No." She sounded wounded, which made her friend grimace in sympathy. _She hadn't heard from Athena either._

They stayed in silence for a little while, Percy looking down at the water before scoffing a little. It seemed so surreal that she hadn't heard from Poseidon in months and then there she was, in his domain, happily swimming around. She knew he could feel her there, it was obvious.

But he still hadn't made any kind of signal to acknowledge her presence.

Not after the war, not even after the small party they made to congratulate the demigods for their "success".

Before her friend could submerge herself and get lost underwater for another couple of minutes, Annabeth decided to address what had been stuck on her mind for hours.

"Percy, what happened this morning? Why did you made the sink explode?"

The raven-haired demigoddess forced herself to blink back to reality, finding that her eyes hurt after staring too much at the blue-white, cloudless sky.

She showed hesitation, looking, for the first time in a couple of minutes, completely uncomfortable. Annabeth knew instantly that her friend would probably close herself and never admit what made her lose control in the way she did.

But for her surprise, she actually sighed and muttered quietly, "I'm just so angry."

It was so quiet that she almost couldn't hear her. "About what?"

Percy shrugged, her eyes holding a troubled edge and her voice filled with an emotion her friend couldn't quite place just yet, and said, "Everything." Something about her expression must've been downright anxious, because her friend looked away after a moment, unable to stare at her for much longer.

"I understand," Annabeth assured her quickly, still not looking at her.

Percy closed her eyes and shook her head imperceptibly.

The daughter of Athena could _comprehend_ where the anger was coming from, and why. But she could never _understand_ , because she wasn't going through what she was; she wasn't feeling what Percy was. In that moment, those were only empty words.

"You freaked out yesterday because the werewolf somehow knows you're a demigoddess, right?"

Percy felt the faintest twitch of annoyance, because she had decided not to speak of anything monster-related that evening.

"Yeah. Why?"

There was a long pause. Percy observed her best friend, trying to understand what she could possibly be thinking about. Her eyebrows were forming a scowl as her grey eyes hardened; she almost looked capable of murdering anything that would ever dare to approach her.

"What is it, Annabeth?" She insisted, knowing that look better than the palm of her own hand. It usually meant trouble. "You've got that I'm-planning-something look on your face right now."

"I don't have an I'm-planning-something look."

Fighting the urge to smile at the familiar conversation, Percy smirked. "You totally do. Your eyebrows knit together and your lips press together and-"

Annabeth looked up and locked eyes with her. "Do you want to do something reckless?"

Percy watched her curiously and a little cautiously, her amusement being replaced by curiosity, "What do you have in mind, Wise Girl?"

"Want to go werewolf-hunting?"

Maybe Percy was wrong, there was someone more reckless and impulsive than her; Annabeth Chase.

She was so shocked that she actually lost her balance and found herself submerged in water. She came out a second later, looking embarrassed and confused.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Listen, Percy. I know you didn't attack him because you're scared of facing yourself-" Annabeth's glare stopped Percy from trying to defend herself. "And you're scared of doing what you did in Tartarus-"

"You were scared of me," Percy breathed, the waves around her crashing almost savagely against the shore in the distance. "How can I _not_ be scared of becoming the monster my best friend, the person I truly care the most about in this goddamn world, was so scared of?"

The blonde seventeen-years old girl seemed to soften a little, an unknown emotion crossing her face and making Percy swallow uncomfortably. For her surprise, Annabeth actually stood from the sand and walked forwards, entering the water and swimming until she was grabbing Percy's shoulders and facing her completely.

"Percy, I was terrified when you did... _what you did_ to Misery, but not _because_ of you-"

The raven-haired demigoddess scoffed quietly, trying to pry herself of her best friend's hands, hard as steel, on her shoulders. "I know what I saw and heard, Annabeth. You were scared _of_ me, completely terrified."

"Percy..." Annabeth looked pained, "Please don't make me talk about that."

For the first time in months, she managed to notice how uncomfortable and vulnerable her friend looked. Just like her, Percy realized with a start. Powerful, scary, _strong_ Annabeth Chase was suffering too because of Tartarus.

 _How had she ignored the obvious signs?_

"I-I'm sorry," Percy managed to say. "I'm sorry, Annabeth."

But _I'm sorry_ couldn't convey how sorry she really was.

Her friend closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember what she had been saying before the flashbacks about Tartarus and her best friend almost murdering a minor-deity invaded her. Something about the wolves...

"I know your reasons to back down from that fight, and it's okay. I understand. But I'm here now, we're together. If you don't want to face him, I'll face him for you. But you can't, under any circumstances, let anyone else find out you're a demigoddess."

"Oh, shit. I was planning on telling everyone what I am. Silly me."

Percy was so used to the exasperated look she received that she almost smiled. It was nice now even after so much changed, she could still annoy Annabeth.

"Seaweed Brain, we are only fifty percent goddesses. That's fifty percent vulnerability from the part of us that is human and-"

"But what about the human body being around seventy-something percent water, and since I'm Poseidon's daughter that would mean I'm more like a hundred percent water and-"

"Percy, there is no special way of killing a demigod and you know it," Annabeth gave her a sharp look, looking as though she didn't think it was time for jokes. "They think they have to find a special weapon, something powerful enough to kill you. But you can literally die if you fall off the stairs and hit your head the wrong way."

Tricky thing about demigods, they could be killed by both magical and normal stuff. Worst thing about being only a half-divine being.

"I know that," The raven-haired demigoddess said, "Do you really think I don't know that? I'm using that as my advantage against them. They're not even close to knowing what I am, and it's a relief, honestly. I'd be forced to act if they knew. Damon claims he wouldn't kill me, says he likes me, but I find that hard to believe."

"Well then," The blonde demigoddess raised an eyebrow at her. "Let's kill that mortal monster before he goes around telling everyone your secret."

"I feel like a dumb teenager trying to keep the mean girls from reading my diary," Percy said.

"You're both dumb and a teenager, so I think you're entitled to feel like that."

Annabeth started dragging her away from the water, making Percy groan and try to melt into the water, which she could technically do. But her friend's grip was too tight, and she was forced out of the water and dragged away into the sand and beyond.

"Hey, this was supposed to be our nice, relaxed day!"

"We'll have a nice, relaxed day some other time." Percy wanted to remind her that they always said that but it never happened, but Annabeth ignored her, "C'mon, I'm itching to know how a mortal werewolf looks like. And besides, we've got two more days together. I'm so pumped about that Masquerade Paul mentioned. We should go."

"I don't like Masquerade parties."

"Yes, you do. You loved it in Paris-" She stopped herself, looking almost pained by her accidental slip up. Her eyes shot to the side to meet her friend's, but as usual, Percy was being exceptionally good at hiding what she was feeling.

"It was different back there."

"I know."

Wisdom's daughter swallowed thickly. Their trip to Paris had been the last good memory they had before the second war started. It was before Percy's disappearance, before they knew Roman demigods were a thing, before the problems started...before they fell into Tartarus.

Before old friends died trying to defeat Gaea.

Percy was trailing besides her now, no longer being dragged, simply following her while intertwining their arms. The green-eyed demigoddess was leaning against her as if for support, all the relaxation and happiness she'd felt while in the water being long gone by then.

"I miss him."

She hadn't meant to admit that, not really. It had slipped almost unconsciously, the once comforting sun feeling almost harsh on her back now, burning her in a way it never had before. The words left a sour taste on her mouth, because even as her attitude showed it, she had never said it out loud before.

Saying it only made it seem more real.

"I know."

Another long pause, and they approached the car. Before entering, the raven-haired demigoddess stopped and sighed deeply. She tried to concentrate on the salty air around them, on the comforting smell and the sound of water clashing against the shore.

"I'm tired of everyone looking at me like they expect me to blow up."

Annabeth blinked, one eyebrow raising as she crossed her arms and observed her, urging her to continue.

"I know I'm unstable and I know I probably look uncomfortable, but they have to stop looking at me like I'm going to blow up at the sole mention of Apollo."

"To be fair, you look like a kicked puppy when someone mentions him. So we thought we'd ought to be more careful around you."

"A kicked puppy? Really?" Percy rolled her eyes inwardly. "I think that, considering the circumstances, I have all the right in the world to look like 'a kicked puppy' over my first breakup. And instead of helping, to see you guys do that only brings me more pain and leaves me more uncomfortable."

"I know, I won't apologize because that wouldn't really do anything, but I can promise you I won't do it again."

"...Thank you," Percy nodded.

They entered the car simultaneously, and Percy started driving away. After asking her friend where they could start looking for Mason Lockwood, she set out in the direction of her house, where they would collect Mrs. O'Leary and bring her with them so she could sniff him out.

"Have you talked with your parents about what bothers you?"

"You're going to have to be more specific, Wise Girl. Everything bothers me lately."

"Apollo," Annabeth said bluntly. "Have you told them, as you told me, how much it bothers you when we try to make it seem as if you two never were together?"

Percy stiffened. "Not really. They don't understand. Mom tries to compare my relationship with Apollo to the affair she had with dad." She felt her friend wince, and she chuckled humorlessly. "Exactly."

"...Maybe she thinks it's a similar situation, have you thought about that?"

She had, _a lot_. There was some similitude, she couldn't deny that. But it was something completely different. Sally and Poseidon had known since the very beginning what kind of relationship they were going to have, he was a married man after all.

Percy and Apollo hadn't meant to fall for each other. They started off as allies, both of them wanting to rescue Artemis and Annabeth back when she was thirteen and they were kidnapped. Then he was amused with her, of how reckless she was.

He said she was interesting, that it had been centuries since he'd seen an interesting demigod. She was unpredictable, impulsive and rule-averse, qualities he dearly admired.

She thought he was _fun_ , one of the few gods that were easygoing and almost normal. Kind of annoying and too cool for her liking, but he was actually nice.

Then his amusement changed to admiration as her powers developed, her interest deepening as he showed the first glimpse of who he really was.

The young demigoddess, fourteen at most, had been walking back home from Goode when she'd seen a red Maserati gleaming in the distance, just ahead of her in the street. No one seemed to notice it, but she did. He'd gotten out of the car unnoticed by everyone, and stopped dead on his tracks at the sight of her.

"Persephone Jackson?" He'd sounded surprised, before a small smile appeared on his lips.

It looked forced, out of place on that uncharacteristically sour-looking god, and the young demigoddess noticed.

She tried to bow a little before him, thinking that she'd ought to show him some respect since he looked so sour, but he'd waved her away instantly, muttering a quiet, "Don't do that, it's fine."

"Lord Apollo," She greeted quietly, inwardly sighing as she thought he was probably there with a mission for her. "What can I help you with?"

He had looked startled, she could remember thinking how strange it was to see a god looking unfocused and utterly confused, more when it was him, who was always always cheery and seemed to ooze confidence and security. Then realization had shone on his face, and he'd shook his head a little.

"I'm not here to pester you today, sweetheart. I don't need your help with anything, I was just passing by..." He'd looked distracted, to then blink a little, eyes locking into hers curiously. "Unless you'd like to keep me company?"

She'd thought of refusing, of simply declining politely and walking home, homework awaited her after all. But she found herself tempted by the offer. Why could a god possibly want to have company if it wasn't for a mission? So impulsively, she'd said the first thing that came to her mouth, "Okay, sure."

In the end, she'd found out he was in the city because an ex-lover had died with a child. _His_ child. She remembered the doubts consuming her after an encounter/ fight with Luke and hearing him say how ' _gods never cared for anyone else_ ', but in that moment, when Apollo- _a god_ \- had been so lonely and miserable that he had let a small teenager, a demigoddess no less, see him _grieving_ in a funeral...

That said a lot about gods actually caring for mortals.

Maybe not all of them cared, but _Apollo_ cared. That intrigued her enough, and soon that interest changed to admiration. He was a god, but he cared enough to go to a funeral, something _mortal_. And he'd grieved...

She'd started to think of him as more than just amusing and easygoing. He was complex.

His admiration for her grew, and then- sometime after he'd offered again to teach her how to drive the sun-chariot and she'd accepted- he started to see the younger girl as a friend.

She started to see him as a friend too, and they became closer.

He'd put his cool façade every time someone else was around, and he'd start making up excuses to see her, like "My ukulele got stolen, can you retrieve it?" and she'd been "forced" to snoop around his house, only to find it in very obvious places, which made them both laugh.

But with her he was always sincere. His façade falling away and showing who he really was underneath. _Guilt-ridden, miserable, envious.._.lonely.

He'd admitted how worried he was for the war, and she'd admitted how much of a failure she was, saying how she never could stop Luke from gaining more power.

He taught her how to drive, tried to teach her how to shoot an arrow successfully (it ended badly for both of them), he tried to teach her how to play several instrument, calming that she had musicians hands; long fingers and whatnot.

For almost a year they had secret meet-ups and simply talked about their days, and if they were too stressed, they'd simply try and talk about anything else that wasn't war-related.

Then she had disappeared in the middle of a mission. Two weeks without knowing where she was or if she was even alive. Apollo felt so desperate he was about to tear down the whole mortal world looking for her, but he wasn't sure why he felt so bothered with her disappearance.

He tried to convince himself that it was _normal_ for him to feel like that, she was his friend; his only mortal friend, _of course he'd be worried!_

But then he'd learned she'd been with Calypso, and a feeling ate at his stomach like never before, a feeling he refused to call jealousy.

"Did you fall in love with her?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

They were in Camp Half-Blood, by the canoe lake, watching the stars. He'd managed to disguise himself as a mere mortal and fool his father into thinking he was away flirting with a mortal man; he'd brought her two bags of her favorite blue candy, and had hugged her almost too tightly, muttering a " _Do you have any idea how worried I was, Persephone? I thought you were...dead."_

 _"Please, Apollo. You can't get rid of me that easily."_

He'd sighed. " _Thank the gods for that."_

When he'd asked her if she loved Calypso, Percy wasn't surprised, which made his stomach sink lower and lower until he felt like choking. He still didn't knew why.

"I didn't."

"Every single hero that ends up in her island falls for her," Apollo had said, watching her reaction very closely. She still hadn't looked at him, she was looking down at her lap. "It's her curse. That's _her_ curse. Percy..."

Percy looked up, piercing sea-green eyes staring directly at him, emotion shining there. He stopped breathing for a moment. "I couldn't stay with her. I had to leave, too much responsibility, the war, I couldn't...I couldn't let Nico be the kid of the prophecy, he doesn't deserve that."

"Are you..." Apollo stopped himself. But he was her friend, it was a completely platonic question. Friends asked each other about their crushes, right? "Are you in love with Nico di Angelo? Is that why you came back? Or was it...was it Annabeth? Are you in love with Annabeth?"

Percy had laughed, not at the questions, but at the way he'd looked. He found himself smiling too, her laugh being completely endearing and reassuring. "No, silly. I'm not in love with them."

"So who are you in love with, then?"

Percy's eyes twinkled as she looked at him. "You're my best friend, you're supposed to know that stuff. I'm kind of offended you haven't noticed."

"Is it that mortal girl you met?" Apollo breathed. "That girl Rachel?"

She'd simply laughed again, "C'mon, let's go to my cabin. I'm freezing out here."

At Percy's fifteen birthday, he took her out for dinner- _friendly date, completely platonic_ \- he'd assured both Sally and Poseidon, but he was actually reassuring himself too. Afterwards, they'd found themselves at the movies, it was a silly comedy one, and Apollo found himself more interested in the way she laughed, the way she would cringe her nose when she disliked something...

It was then, in the darkness of the movie theater, with no one looking at them, with Percy laughing at the silly movie, that Apollo realized that his feelings for her weren't _that_ platonic anymore. He couldn't deny it any longer, not really.

His admiration had changed. It went deeper, that feeling. He was crushed with the painful realization that Percy would never, ever feel the same way towards him. She wouldn't get involved with a god, he was sure of that. So he sat back and accepted that it would probably be better to try and hide those feelings.

They were friends, and that's what mattered. She was comfortable with him, she liked him, she _trusted_ him.

He couldn't risk losing all of that because he saw her differently than before...because he'd developed feelings for her. He felt like choking, and actually had to held back a sob. Of course _he_ 'd had the bad luck of falling for the only mortal that would never want to be with him.

 _Fucking Eros and Aphrodite..._

It wasn't enough that he'd lost Hyacinth and Daphne for his flaws, he could now lose Percy too. The pain he felt while thinking that was unbearable, and he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, set on ignoring the warm feeling that rose to his chest when she took his hand as they walked back home.

It was normal, _platonic_. Friends walked with intertwined hands every time, he was _sure_ she never knew how much it bothered him to join hands with her like that, how much he wanted that contact to be different for her too...

For Percy it started different.

Her amusement had changed into friendship too, but it stayed as friendship for a little longer than for him. She knew that she liked him, but never thought too much of it. People liked each other a lot, right? And there was nothing unusual about that.

Then he'd asked her and Grover a favor- she'd thought it was another one of his little schemes to spend time with her without them being judged, but in the end he'd really needed their help- finding his lost Celedon. Afterwards, he'd taken her- _as a gift for her good work_ , he assured everyone- to the concert he'd been planning in Olympus.

It was then, when he glowered with pride at the applause his singers were getting, when he left himself laugh and hug her joyfully, raising her from the ground and twirling her around, not caring that anyone could see, that she realized her feelings had changed.

It wasn't friendly anymore, it was different. Very, _very_ different.

She couldn't really explain it, it just felt so intense, like her chest was being squeezed by invisible hands and her heart was about to explode, but in a good way.

"Apollo?" Percy had asked shyly as they walked away from the after-party. He had been happy to show her around Olympus, enjoying how she looked speechless over certain beautiful places.

"Hmm?"

"A while ago you asked me who I was in love with," She noticed how he tensed almost imperceptibly, then relaxed against an oak three at their side in the gardens. "I didn't answer because I wasn't in love with anyone in that moment. But I thought- it's a friendly question, of course- that I should ask too."

He was barely breathing by then, his eyes widening. "What?"

"You're my best friend," Percy shrugged a little. "It's my duty, too, as your best friend to know that kind of stuff..." She paused a little. "Though I admit it would be freaky to know all the horny details. I'm a teenager, but I really _don't_ want to know _that_ about _you_."

Greek mythology was really messed up in that aspect.

He actually laughed at that, relaxing a little. "I wouldn't tell you any horny detail anytime sooner, sweetheart. You're too young."

That had stung a little. _Too young_. Swallowing the uncomfortable feeling on her throat, Percy forced herself to smile. "So?"

The way he looked at her was different, almost fondly, but there was something else she couldn't quite decipher yet. _Was it pain? No, It couldn't be._

"I haven't been in love in centuries, Percy," His voice was soft, tired. He lacked his usual arrogance and security, which made the demigoddess know he was telling her the truth. He looked down at the grass, and picked up a flower for her.

"I'm sorry," She said sincerely, and that was another reason why he was so in love with her. She accepted the flowed he offered her, a hyacinth, and smiled at him. "Thank you."

He chuckled a little, and used one arm to hug Percy to his side. "It's fine, love isn't everything. There are more important things in the world, like friendship and family," He kissed her forehead unconsciously, which made both of them turn scarlet though both tried to hide it.

"We should go back to the party," Percy cleared her throat, the space where his lips had touched her forehead was burning.

He nodded. "C'mon, sweetheart. I'll tell you all about my fantastically tragic love life some other time. Let's enjoy this party now, yes?"

"Will you take me home after this is over?"

He gave her an affronted look. "I'm a gentleman, Percy. I wouldn't leave you hanging around alone in the city even if Zeus forced me to. Which I really hope he doesn't. Of course I'll get you home safe and sound."

She beamed at him. "I know you will."

"Your faith in me is heartwarming, my dear. Now come, I want to introduce you to someone..."

It had taken them a while to actually get together as a couple. In the end, not mattering from which side they looked at it, her parents relationship was _nothing_ alike hers and Apollo's.

"Perhaps," She said to Annabeth at last. And that was all she said of the matter.

"You should talk to them," Annabeth said softly, not bothered by the long time her friend was silent, clearly lost in thoughts. "Not only about that, about everything. You should come clean to then. They could help you feel better."

"They have better things to do than worry about my well-being," The raven haired demigoddess shook her head. Her mother was working on her novel, her stepfather busy with school... "We're almost here. Do you have a plan already?"

"Obviously," The blonde demigoddess couldn't help the smugness that got laced in her voice. "We just need Mrs. O'Leary's to sniff him out and then-" She waved her Yankees Cap in Percy's direction. "Well, he won't know what hit him."

"He _literally_ won't know," Percy tried to smile, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to end terribly wrong.

"I'll tell you the rest later," Annabeth promised. "I don't want anyone to hear us- you did say they had good hearing, right?"

"That's what the book says," Percy shrugged. She thought it was going to end terribly wrong, but her friend seemed to be very confident that it would be alright. And after all, Annabeth was always better at planning stuff than she was. She was- almost- always right.

Almost.

"Promise me something," Percy said before she could stop herself. "You said you weren't scared of me in Tartarus. But you were scared. When all this is over, will you tell me what you meant by that?"

Annabeth looked distressed, but ended nodding. "I think I owe you an explanation, don't I? Yes, I'll tell you what I meant by that. I promise."

A little more relaxed, Percy nodded. "We're here. Let's get Mrs. O'Leary before mom sees us and asks what we're doing."

"Hurry," Annabeth nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians nor the Vampire Diaries

English's not my native language, so I'm deeply sorry for any mistake I might have.

 **...**

 **Chapter 9**

 **...**

Mason Lockwood thought at first that he was dreaming. How else could he explain seeing a small puppy walking innocently towards him, only to then have said puppy transform into an enormous beast right before his eyes?

A yell escaped his mouth and he backed away immediately, hitting roughly the edge of the well and nearly stumbling down it. His fright was short lived, because in that moment, a young girl appeared from between two massive oak trees. Even in the distance, he could recognize her easily.

"Down, girl."

Surprisingly, the beast sat down obediently, tail wiggling as it turned its enormous head back and seemed to be looking for the source of the voice. Percy smiled at him, and gently pat the beast's head. Something about her smile annoyed him, he wasn't sure if it was the sarcasm there or something else.

"Hi Mason."

But his view was firmly set on the beast. Looking better at it, he realized it was more of an overgrown puppy than an actual beast. It was scary, he couldn't deny that, but it looked almost harmless.

He couldn't say the same for the girl silently approaching him.

"Persephone Jackson," Mason nodded at her, hiding his hands on his pockets. "Hi." His neck tingled, and he felt the strangest sensation of being observed. He looked back discretely, but at the other side of the well there was nothing, just vast trees and bushes.

Percy smiled again, which for the werewolf wasn't a reassuring sight. After a small pause where they simply addressed themselves, she sighed deeply. "I have questions-"

"Go to school," Mason retorted easily. "You'll receive all the answers you need there."

"Don't get all smart on me, it doesn't suit you."

He considered ignoring her and leaving, but he didn't want to turn his back on her, not when he wasn't sure she wouldn't suddenly attack. But then again, behind himself was a small source of water, one she could very easily attack with.

He pushed the thought aside, and pursed his lips. "Ask."

Percy addressed her surroundings before lowering herself into the floor and sitting cross legged, pointedly letting Mason know it was more than one question. She looked relaxed and not bothered by her surroundings, but he saw how her eyes kept stealing glances at the well behind his back.

"How do you know what I am?"

The question had not been completely out of her lips when he started to laugh. He shook his head and gave her a small incredulous look.

"You're a legend. Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus. I wasn't expecting you to be so-"

"Feminine?" Percy sighed, running her hands over her tights distractedly. "Do you have a problem with me being a female? Because if you do, then let me tell you you are a piece of shit and-"

"They say you held the sky once, that monsters now-days tremble at the very mention of your name," Mason continued, bothered by her words. "I don't care that you're a female, Percy. I belong to a pack where the alpha is a female too, that's the least of my problems right now."

When she looked at him, an unknown emotion sparkled in her eyes, but it was impossible for Mason to understand what it was. After a small pause of seconds, she nodded, looking less annoyed, "Then what were you going to say?"

"Young," Mason's annoyance had disappeared, his voice now sounding almost gentle. "They say you've saved the world more than once, and you're just seventeen years old. My nephew is your age. I don't think he'd be able to do all the things they say you've done."

"Exaggerations," Percy shook her head. "I've done nothing of the such."

Mason eyed her. "You're not what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I thought you were one of Artemis' hunters," Mason admitted. "I heard a demigoddess of one of the Big Three joined Artemis some years ago..." He trailed off. "I see I was wrong."

She found it very amusing. "I have a great deal of respect for Lady Artemis, but I never joined her. I believe you had me confused with my pine-coned face cousin."

"My apologies." He didn't sound very apologetical. If something, he sounded more curious.

Percy observed him for a little while, before straightening and looking away. "You came after me yesterday, you sought me out, made it clear that you know what I am," She paused. "You must've had a reason for doing that, and I want to know what is it."

He nodded. "Yes. I want your help."

Percy was more than confused by then, because it seemed like every monster in Mystic Falls was seeking her help. It was completely ridiculous, monsters and demigods don't mix. It was as simple as that.

So she shook her head and laughed, "I don't help monsters."

But she'd already started to think of Bob, and with him came Damasen.

What kind of person was her now? How was she supposed to ignore the hypocrisy of her own words? Not every monster was a sadistic beast, that much was very clear.

She'd tried to convince herself multiple times in the past that Damasen and Bob weren't monsters. They had acted like heroes, they sacrificed themselves for her. It was a mere offense to even think of them as something less than heroes!

But deep down, a logical part of her was telling her that just like them, other monsters could have the capacity to make right decisions. She couldn't take that from them, she couldn't really say that they weren't monsters. That was their species, even if they didn't behave like it.

They had been monsters, but they made right choices and behaved like heroes.

Percy was so lost in thoughts that she didn't realize Mason had been talking, and only heard the end of his monologue.

"...Vampire's don't know what that means. They will kill you when they cease to need you-"

Percy tried to ignore his words, but some part of her couldn't. She wasn't sure how he'd jumped from wanting her help to taking about vampires, but she realized it was because she hadn't been listening to him.

A bitter laugh escaped her mouth, and she gave him the hardest stare she could come up with, trying to ignore the way her body was screaming at her to move, to do something. She'd been sitting for a long time and her hyperactive nature was against it.

"You speak as if you wouldn't do the exact same thing."

He shook his head. "You haven't done anything against me. I have nothing against you." Not believing his words, she looked into his eyes, trying to find dishonesty there, but there was nothing to find. Her stomach lurched when she realized he was saying the truth, guilt tearing her stomach to shreds and forcing her to look away from his face.

"Mason, you have to leave town." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself, and she wasn't even sure why she cared so much about his safety. Was it because he showed kindness and morality? He was still a monster...

But she couldn't just let him die like _that_.

What was she doing, what was she thinking?

"I just wanted to meet you properly," Mason admitted, shaking her off her thoughts. "You protect humans, I want my nephew to be-" A twig snapped in the distance, and he stopped talking.

Percy cursed under her breath.

"What is that?"

This time Mason turned to stare at the demigoddess. At her side, the beast was happily munching on her own paws, scratching and scratching, but relatively calm. Percy started to get up from her seat, which alarmed Mason.

"Relax," Percy told him, then looked over his shoulder and said, "I just realized how rude it is for you to eavesdrop on our conversation like that. Come out, Wise Girl, it's alright."

A blonde girl materialized at the other side of the well, grasping a Yankees' cap in one hand and a small dagger on the other. When his surprise died away, Mason narrowed his eyes, looking back at Percy, who was calmly twirling a ballpoint pen between her fingers and staring at the newcomer.

"Mason, meet my friend. Dear friend of mine, meet Mason Lockwood."

Percy's dear friend nodded at him, unsmiling. "Hi."

Mason stared at the daughter of Athena, then looked at the daughter of Poseidon. "This is a trap, isn't it? You wanted to distract me so your friend could stab me in the back."

Somehow, Percy noticed distractedly, he didn't sound very alarmed by that. He didn't even look annoyed, he was accepting what he thought was his fate. Curiously, she wondered just how much of a curse being a werewolf was. It sounded painful...it probably was.

"You're smart," Annabeth addressed. " _For a monster_. But no, that wasn't the plan. Now please, do continue talking. I find it more entertaining and reasonable than half the things that come from her mouth-" She pointed with her chin at the other demigoddess.

"Watch it, Wise Girl."

"You protect mortals," Mason said, stopping them from bickering. "I want to know my nephew will be protected too. He doesn't deserve to go through the same pain and suffering as me. I want him out of this mess."

"Your nephew, Tyler-" Percy shared a thoughtful look with her best friend. "His werewolf side is still dormant. Take him with you, I'm sure he'll be better with someone like you on his life. You can protect him."

"The pack would pressure him to turn," Mason shook his head. "He can't come with me, and I can't stay here."

"You can't?" Annabeth frowned, observing him.

The other demigoddess already knew the reason he needed to leave town. With another pang of guilt and disgust, she remembered the nauseating dream she had where she saw how Damon Salvatore ripped his heart out and threw it across the room.

The green-eyed demigoddess wasn't sure why that killing technique bothered her so much, she'd seen and used worse techniques than that. But there was just something about it that made her cringe and want to puke.

"If he stays, he dies." Percy explained to her friend, already picturing his heart across the Salvatore's living room.

The blonde girl was about to say that she didn't see what the problem was with that, when the cruelty of her own thoughts shook her, and she forcefully closed her mouth.

They were right, Tartarus brings the worst side of everyone.

The daughter of Athena was looking at her friend, thinking of how real that statement was. They had changed, both of them. One more than the other, but the change was still very noticeable. She was finding it hard to see the heroine her friend used to be, and she was sure Percy was surprised with her own changes too.

"...You hid the moonstone there, in vervain induced water. If I were you, and if I wanted to break a spell, I'd never be away from that stone," Percy was smiling sarcastically now. "But then again, I could never be a werewolf, I don't know how your canine mind works."

The werewolf looked away, and when he spoke, his voice was low and cautious. "Some things are not worth the sacrifice one has to go through to get them."

"Are you saying you don't want to break the curse?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

"You two don't want to be involved in this mess, believe me," Mason's eyes darkened. "The less you know, the better. Stay away from this curse."

"But turning into a beast every single full moon must hurt like hell," Percy pointed out, tactlessly. "All your bones constrict and your whole body changes and morphs into a wolf, an animal. Then there's this spell that will lift the curse, and you just don't want it?"

He said nothing, the only thing betraying his cool mask being a twitch on his jaw.

There was a long moment of hesitation, with the two girls sharing a long long and seemingly over thinking their whole encounter. They had arrived there with a self-imposed mission, and now they were drowning in new doubts and burning curiosity.

 _What really was that curse?_

"Fine. We'll leave you alone now."

They had only walked about four or five steps when Mason stopped them, his voice full with confusion.

The blonde teenager blinked innocently at him, which her raven-haired friend had to admit was a nice look on her, she looked almost angelical with her blonde hair and grey eyes; only that Percy knew that she was more of a devil than an angel.

"I thought our conversation was over," Percy looked impatient. "Is there something else you'd like to say, Mason?"

"Come with me. My girlfriend wants to meet you."

The request didn't surprise them. Nearly every monster they encountered had some ulterior motive or someone to please, so therefore they were more than used to being asked- or forced- to meet someone new.

"Your girlfriend?" Annabeth frowned, confused.

They weren't sure, however, of how important it could be to meet that woman. It could help them, sure. They could get more information about the curse, but it could also be a waste of time.

Percy slowly realized that he'd learned about demigods because of his girlfriend. Unlike vampires, werewolves didn't get to live forever. And Mason Lockwood was young, mid-thirties probably, which meant that someone older and wiser must've told him...

"A vampire," The daughter of Poseidon spoke, eyes wide and mouth agape.

Annabeth came to the same conclusion, blonde curls jumping as she nodded. "Makes sense. Mortal monsters are unaware of our world until they personally get involved in it. Someone old and cunning must've told you. Not another werewolf, certainly not a witch, and not a mortal. A vampire."

For the first time that day, the daughter of the sea was finally able to see the werewolf within that young man. His eyes flashed amber, making her breath get stuck on her throat because- bloody fuck- those brilliant eyes reminded her of Kronos.

Before her mind could betray her again and force her to have another hallucination, she pinched herself, willing to go through pain just to ignore the nagging sensation on her mind.

Mason growled. "You two don't know what you're talking about."

Percy forced herself to laugh sardonically. Her heart was hammering wildly, her grip on Riptide tightening.

She could already start to hear his laugh, that deep low rumble that always made her flinch, it was just a matter of time before she started seeing him again...

"What happened to the rivalry between both species?" She asked, trying to find something to anchor herself to reality, something that Nico had advised her to. "Does dating her make you an outcast? That is so cliché."

Her words touched a nerve. He snarled at them, eyes flashing amber again. This time it was the other demigoddess who looked uncomfortable with that sight, but a lot more annoyed than frightened.

"We love each other. She's going to lift the curse for me. She's going to do that because she loves me and wants me to be happy."

"Forgive my imprudence and my potty mouth," Percy started to say, "But that is absolute _bullshit_. Curses don't work like that, it has to be broken by the person that wants to receive the results. If she breaks it, the vampires are the ones that will receive its power, and vice-versa."

"Also, you sound like you're trying to convince yourself," Annabeth pointed out. "You keep repeating that you'll be happy, but will you really?"

The werewolf was in denial. "No, she said-"

"You hid the moonstone in a well filled with vervain," Annabeth interrupted him. "You don't trust her."

He said nothing for a long moment. He looked between both teenager girls, his expression showing so much devastation that they were forced to look away, feeling sympathetic for him in that moment.

"I love her..." He said.

"You feel something for her, I won't invalidate your feelings," The raven-haired demigoddess sounded almost gentle, something that the young werewolf never thought possible. "But without trust, there's no love."

Not finding anything else to do or say there, the green-eyed girl grabbed her best friend's hand, and pulled her away, not wanting anything more than just going back home.

"Let's go, Mrs. O'Leary-"

The hell-hound quickly followed them, the blonde demigoddess gently caressing her fur and smiling softly when she received a couple of friendly licks for that action. Percy looked back at the werewolf, and pierced him with a stare.

"Don't say I never warned you, Mason Lockwood." She paused for a moment, ignoring the way her friend was looking at her, and then said, "Leave town and never come back. You know the consequences you'll face if you decide to stay."

"Percy-"

"Tyler Lockwood is under my protection now," The daughter of Poseidon announced, still sounding strangely soft and gentle. "I'll make sure he remains human, I can promise you that."

Mason opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, lost for words. He weighed his options, weighed the way she was looking at him, and the strange emotion on her eyes, and then he made his mind.

She was showing him kindness...

"Thank you." He said.

"Don't make me regret it," She warned him.

"I won't," He promised.

The demigoddess walked away with her hell-hound and her best friend following closely. He watched them disappear through the vast thickness of the forest, and then he was gone too, walking as far away as he could on feet. Behind his back, the old well was relatively calm. But if he had taken one last look inside, he would've found that the moonstone was gone.

 **...**

The trip back to the Jackson's house was relatively quiet.

The blonde girl kept looking around, still unused to the constant feeling of monsters closing down on them. On the backseat, almost occupying the whole car and almost breaking its roof, was Mrs. O'Leary's, who was too tired to shadow-travel back to the house.

Percy was distracted the whole way back to the house, so much that she hadn't realized they were at her house until she saw she'd parked the car and that her friend was already opening Mrs. O'Leary's door and helping her out.

Sighing, she got out of the car and closed the garage behind their backs. She'd started to walk inside when laughter stopped her.

Inside her house, her mother and step-father were laughing, probably being happy and relaxed for the first time in ages, and she realized it was because she'd been gone from the house all day...

She heard Kronos laugh again, accidentally missing her footing at the sudden sound and crashing against the porch's columns.

 _ **They don't love you anymore,** _ Kronos seemed to say. _**They're happy you're gone.**_

"That's not true, Seaweed Brain. You know they love you." Annabeth's voice brought Percy back to reality.

"I made the sink explode," Percy reminded her miserably.

Annabeth shook her head at her, giving her a gentle look. "They're not going to hate you for being moody and breaking things. Sally is the sweetest woman I've ever met, and Paul adores you like a daughter. It's going to be okay."

 _ **She's lying**_ , Kronos chuckled. _**She hates you too, look at her, she's only been a day here in your company and she already wants to go back to her own home. She's tired of you, you disappoint her.**_

"I hope so."

She'd already lost too many important people in her life, she didn't want to lose them too.

 _ **You're a disappointment, you can't do anything right. You didn't even kill that werewolf, out of what? Pity? You're so pathetic.**_

"Let's go to the music room, hmm? Your room makes me claustrophobic."

Percy wanted to shake her head and _never_ step foot inside that room again, but she didn't want to explain the reason, and she knew her friend was so smart that she'd get it instantly, and the pity-stares would return. She was lightheaded and felt like crying after hearing his voice again, her body reacting almost as if she were about to have a panic attack.

But she didn't want her friend to know that.

So they entered the house, stopping briefly to notice that Sally and Paul weren't alone, and quickly went upstairs.

"I didn't know they were expecting visit," Percy stressed, hoping that her friend would forget about the music room and would follow her to her room.

But Annabeth was already stepping inside the music room, looking over her shoulder at Percy and raising her eyebrows. Percy's heart hammered wildly, but she swallowed and followed her. Upon entering, her friend looked around in amazement.

"This place is so pretty. Do you come here often?"

"Not really," Percy trailed her fingers over a rusty-looking lyre by the windowsill. The sound was nice, familiar. It made her heart ache so she quickly moved her fingers away and walked towards the only love-seat in the room. Sinking down on it, she tried not to acknowledge the familiar sight before her, a blonde person at a piano, their hands itching towards the keys...

The ache in her heart died away when instead of listening to a soft, perfectly played melody, the sound the piano emitted was cringe-worthy.

She found herself laughing. Kronos' voice seemed to disappear. Her friend blushed, opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, but her embarrassment was too strong for her to be able to say anything at all.

"Instead of laughing at me, you should play me a song," She fixed her best friend with a pleading stare, knowing fully well that the raven-haired girl couldn't resist her puppy-dog eyes. "Pretty please with ice cream and a blue cherry on top?"

Percy was startled. "Wise Girl-"

"C'mon, I want to hear you play. It's been so long."

The daughter of Poseidon was tempted to say she didn't know how to play, that her ex-boyfriend's attempts at teaching her had been unsuccessful...

The thought of lying left a sour feeling on her mouth.

If there was something she was proud of, it was of having an artistic side. Her mother loved literature, and she hadn't inherited that, but she _could_ appreciate a good book. Her ex-boyfriend was the god of every kind of art, and she had learnt to play different instruments and admire most kinds of art.

She was proud of all that.

It made her feel as if she was more than just the savior of Olympus. She was also a teenager, someone that enjoyed art, someone that could be almost normal...

And it made the ugly thoughts and memories disappear, which was a plus.

Without any hesitation now, she joined her friend at the piano. As soon as her fingers itched towards the keys, her heart ached. She had a sudden flash to his laugh- not Kronos, _no,_ this time it was someone she was happy to remember briefly- as he directed her fingers to the right keys, and then his soft voice sending shivers down her spine as he sang softly by her earlobe, his voice relaxing her and coaxing her to play.

Her fingers danced across the keys, unmistakably producing a soft and tender melody that filled her with a sense of familiarity and peacefulness...

She was warm all over, warm and content for the first time in a long time. The thought of him made the ghost that was Kronos disappear, and while her heart ached, it was something she was immensely glad for.

That was, perhaps, the moment when she most felt like herself. Not Persephone Jackson, not one of the seven, not the heroine of Olympus.

Percy.

 _Just_ Percy.

When Percy was younger, she went through the inevitable phase of not knowing who she was. It was easy to ignore the emptiness inside of her with war raging over her head, but as time passed and dull days appeared, it was more and more evident how lost she actually was.

Hermes had visited her once, and said something that had sent her on the long and torturous path that was finding herself and discovering what made her different from the rest of the world.

 _"Humans are constantly plagued by that special doubt. My dear girl, no one really knows who they are. There's nothing wrong with that, I promise. Discovering oneself is a very long path, just remember you are not what others think or expect from you._ " Hermes smiled gently at her, hesitantly taking one step forwards and sweetly grasping her shoulders, " _They know nothing, and you are more than that."_

She had retorted with saying that they knew her, that what they said must be what she was, because she herself didn't know how to describe herself, and the others did it so easily...

" _They know nothing_ ," Hermes repeated firmly, _"They only see what you choose to show them, they don't see who you are when you're alone, what you think when there's nothing to do or say. You're not what anyone says, you're your own person. You're the choices you make, the things you chose to say, the things you like the most..."_

It was easy, sometime after the first war, to say who she was.

Persephone Jackson, sixteen years old, a troubled girl with a troubled life, but with the best friends she could ever have, with a boyfriend that adored her very existence, with a family that stayed together through everything. Someone that loved the sea and loved most aspects of modern art, someone who adored the color blue and couldn't imagine life without her family and friends...a heroine.

But things had changed.

The second war destroyed everything she had settled for herself.

How could someone lose everything and go trough hell itself, and still conserve their very essence and what makes them themselves? The answer was: they can't.

The song ended.

 _"I cannot take this anymore. Do you have any idea what it's like to feel empty inside? I know that logically, there's nothing missing but I swear to the gods that I feel like there is something deep inside of me missing. I don't want this, I don't like this feeling..."_

A small sigh echoed in the room, the blonde demigoddess was opening her eyes, a wishful smile on her pretty lips as she sighed once again, still mesmerized by the music that she'd been hearing.

 _"You asked me what's wrong...this is what's wrong. Victoria from Cabin Five is in the infirmary right now, barely alive. I almost killed her, Apollo. I almost killed someone innocent. What kind of monster am I now? Is that what you meant when you said things would change? Did you know I would become this monster?"_

"Oh, Seaweed Brain, that was breathtakingly beautiful." Annabeth beamed.

 _You are not a monster._

Percy swallowed back a gasp, and instead choose to close the piano, hands trembling wildly, something she briefly hoped her friend wouldn't notice.

 _"You don't understand, you don't feel this that I'm feeling-"_

He shook his head _. Y_ _ou're broken. Ripped at every edge if you must, but you're still a masterpiece. You're still human, still kind and generous. You could never be a monster, I know that because you're scared of yourself, and that alone shows that you are good at heart. You_ are _good._

"What are you thinking about, Seaweed Brain?"

When she received no answer, Annabeth watched her intently. Briefly, she thought back of what she'd read about post-traumatic stress disorder, more specifically, about flashbacks. Percy looked disoriented, out of it, completely lost in thoughts. What hurt the blonde girl was the way that she was holding back tears and grabbing her own tight, nails butting into the skin there.

She pried her fingers open very gently and intertwined their hands together, trying to give her some amount of comfort.

It worked for a moment, Percy blinked and focused on her friend's face.

Then a tear escaped her right eye, red blossoming her face as she drowned in embarrassment.

"I'm going to-" The green-eyed demigoddess sounded at the verge of breaking down, and this time her friend noticed. After a couple of deep breaths, she composed herself. "I'm going to the bathroom for a second, okay? I'll be right back."

"Do you want me to-" Annabeth started, but stopped herself. She knew her friend needed to be alone in that moment, even when being alone wouldn't do her any good. Something came to her mind, and she blurted out a, "Wait."

Percy stopped.

"I know why you decided not to kill Mason," She started. "And I'm proud of you. I don't know how often you hear this, but I truly am extremely proud of you. You made the right choice. I know what you're frightened of right now, and I can assure you you will not turn into a monster as long as you have compassion in your soul. You can have this urges you always talk about, this hollow feeling in your chest-"

There was a small pause, barely a couple of seconds, but it was enough for the two demigoddess to lock eyes and speak without really talking, their unbreakable bond seemingly getting stronger in that one specific moment.

"You can be dark, you can have those urges and do that thing you're most scared of doing. But if you ask me, you will never be truly evil."

 _ **She's lying.**_ The old Titan of Time was back, golden eyes locked on her as he leaned against the blonde demigoddess, a smirk appearing on his lips as he saw her flinch.

How could Percy explain that while she was terrified of that, in that moment what really was bothering her was _everything?_

Everything was hurting her, everything brought old memories that were better left buried, everything reminded her of Kronos, of the friends she lost, of her old self.

 _Everything_ felt like Tartarus.

Percy sighed a little, looking down at the floor and refusing to look up. "How can you be so sure?" Her voice was low, but it echoed in the vast space of the music room, hitting her best friend in a way that none other words ever had. She was smart, wisdom's daughter, but there was no way she could explain properly how she knew that.

And they both knew it.

Kronos laughed, _ **She isn't, she's lying.**_

"I love you," Annabeth said simply. "You're part of me- some times an annoying part- and I can truly tell you that you will never be a monster because you are capable of feeling so much."

It was a simple phrase, a short answer to a very important question, but her words were so sincere, her voice sounded so truthful, that it was enough for the raven-haired demigoddess to cut the distance between them and throw her arms around her.

"I love you too," Percy admitted in a whisper.

Kronos disappeared.

Percy was met with an unfamiliar feeling of comfort. She finally felt safe and at _home_. She was with her, and that's all that mattered. An asteroid could've destroyed the Earth in that exact same moment, and she wouldn't have cared as long as they were together.

 _She was safe._

"When I saw you controlling that poison and choking Misery," Annabeth started quietly. "I was terrified. The expression on your face was one of corrupt power and hatred. Percy, you looked so terrifyingly powerful. You were drunk on that feeling, that power, and I was so scared and upset-"

Percy tried to pull away from her, but she held her tight against her.

"It was the same expression Luke wore before turning against us."

Percy stopped struggling, everything falling to piece together. She left the smallest, "Oh..." escape her lips, and before she knew what was happening, her friend had tightened her grip on her, their hug tightening and becoming bone-crushing.

"I'm sorry-"

Someone cleared their throat, forcing them to separate abruptly and a little alarmed. One look at the door and they managed to relax, both of them sighing in relief. It was Paul, smiling at the sight before his eyes and looking content and safe.

"Lunch is ready," He told them. "Let's go downstairs, Jenna brought her niece and she's getting bored being with us the boring adults-" Percy scoffed; he was everything but boring. He continued with a smile, "I thought you two could spend some time with her, maybe you'd even get a new friend."

The green-eyed girl forced herself to blink back her tears and try and react as she normally would, trying to ignore the wariness still creeping on her chest and burning her, a little painfully, but comforting nonetheless.

"The name Jenna rings a bell. Isn't she- oh no."

The daughter of wisdom sniffled, composing herself too, and stared at her friend, her gaze holding an incredible amount of curiosity. Percy watched as her step-father walked ahead of them, though still clearly keeping an ear on them.

She shook her head, pointing with her chin at him.

When they reached the living room, they were greeted with a scene that would, perhaps, stay forever in their heads. Three figures sprawled on the floor, unconscious and unmoving. Paul reacted as anyone would, gasping and then quickly moving to approach his unconscious wife, but a second later, a blurry figure threw him against the wall, and he too joined the other unconscious figures on the floor.

Percy and Annabeth gasped for a second, the stench of death and putrefaction making them recoil and take one step back unconsciously.

When the blurry figure stopped moving and stared at the two demigoddess, she was met with a familiar sight; two teenage girls, glaring coldly at her and hoarding weapons of mass destruction. She couldn't do anything but smile at them, a brilliant smile that betrayed the fire in her eyes.

For a moment, they simply studied each other.

The newcomer was a gorgeous woman, familiar looking, but at the same time quite different.

"Hello, girls," Her voice was almost a purr, it sent shivers up their spines. She walked in circles around them, watching them like a predator watching its pray. For the first time after meeting mortal-monsters, Percy finally was able to see what a real vampire looked like. Not so human-like as the Salvatore's, someone that actually had an aura of _danger._

It made her heart jump and her stomach clench, something very alike adrenaline and excitement cursing her veins. She forced herself to remember that her parents were unconscious- and breathing heavily- on the floor, that she had to keep a straight mind for their safety...

"Katherine," Percy greeted smoothly, copying her movements and never once looking away from her.

The vampire stopped moving, and her seductive smile widened even more, if it was even possible. Annabeth seemed as mesmerized as her friend, though she was seeing a mortal monster, a real vampire for the first time in her life, so her fascination was different from Percy's.

Anger flared in the demigoddess when the door opened and Mason Lockwood strolled in. Before they could say anything to him, or even try and attack him, the vampire closed down on them.

"You've heard of me, good." Katherine eyed their weapons like one might watch a dog toy. "I believe it's about time we have a little chat, don't you think?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer** : I don't own PJO and HoH nor the Vampire Diaries

English's not my native language, so I'm deeply sorry for any mistake I might have.

* * *

 **...**

 **Chapter 10**

 **...**

"So I'm sitting down in my living room with a werewolf, a vampire, and my best friend while my parents and their friends are lying unconscious on the floor. Can't say I missed this," Percy forced a smile, looking at the demigoddess at her side.

"Just like the good old times." She had not taken her eyes off the vampire since they say down to talk, but apparently couldn't help but add that sarcastic comment to Percy's own sarcastic words.

Katherine was eyeing both demigoddesses, an unknown emotion on her dark eyes as she seemed to study them, drowning in their physical appearances and not taking her eyes off them, almost as if she was trying to read their very thoughts. Slowly, a smile started to appear on her red lips, and she looked down at her lap.

Glad that the eye contact was over, Annabeth leaned back on her seat.

"I like your makeup."

Percy eyed the vampire with a sense of approval that made Annabeth roll her eyes inwardly. But to be fair, the vampire had flawless makeup on her olive skin, and her wardrobe was enviable.

Katherine only smirked. There was just _something_ about her that screamed danger, and like the demigoddess she was, Percy found herself attracted to that dangerous aura. She was honestly gorgeous, which only made the whole situation even more exciting.

"Thank you," Her voice sent a shivering sensation up Percy's navel, though she tried to ignore it. "It's good to finally meet the notorious Persephone Jackson. I can see what all the fuss was about." She eyed the demigoddess up and down, lips curling into another smirk.

Annabeth bumped her shoulder against Percy, as if by accident, but there was a hidden intention to that, and the raven-haired demigoddess nodded almost imperceptibly, agreeing with her best friend.

"Well, you see, I just recently moved here and if I'm brutally honest, I don't want anything to do with any of you mortal-monsters, so I just ignored your existence." She said.

"Did you now?" Those knowing eyes annoyed the daughter of Poseidon, and she forced herself to concentrate on her stench- her stench and only her stench- to fuel the never ending rage inside of her.

"It's not my fault that your lapdogs think they can make me help them," She glared darkly at Mason Lockwood, who was silent and unmoving at the vampire's side. "Lupin here thought that he could buy me with his pitiful stories, and Louis and Lestat don't ever leave me be since we're neighbors."

Katherine laughed, clearly delighted by something none of them could understand, not bothered that the seventeen-years old girl gave them such stupid nicknames. "I like you," She said.

"Aw, thanks, I think you're-"

"Percy, no-" Annabeth hissed and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, Wise Girl. No flirting with monsters, got it."

Katherine pouted. "Why so rude? I'm not a monster."

" _Technically_ , you are," Annabeth pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ignore her, Katherine," Percy smiled at the vampire, a smile that used to drive Apollo insane and that more than once had him pinning her roughly against the nearest wall and ravishing her right then and there. "She's just jealous she's not receiving any attention right now."

Annabeth would've been annoyed had she not recognized the tactic her friend was using. Trying to hide her smirk, the blonde demigoddess made her best effort at looking offended while discretely looking at the shifting figures on the floor by the hallway that lead to the kitchen.

 _They were waking up._

"So tell me..." Percy did her best to sound nonchalant. "What brings you to my humble abode? Not to make it seem like I don't want you here, because truly, it's a pleasure to finally meet a real vampire." She hoped the Salvatore brothers were somehow listening to their conversation, though she wasn't sure if their advanced hearing could work with so many distance in between, but the part of her that loved annoying them hoped so.

"You'd be so easy to kill," Annabeth piped in calmly, eyes as hard as steel.

"You flatter me," Katherine purred, ignoring the blonde girl. "I'm just a girl looking for a partner in crime."

Annabeth rose from the couch and stalked to the kitchen. Katherine followed her with her eyes and then smirked, looking back at Percy and seeming to say, _Finally alone_. Mason gave Percy one last look before following the blonde demigoddess.

"A partner in crime? And what could that possibly mean?"

 _Hurry up, Wise Girl._ Percy forced herself not to glance towards them, knowing that she could trust her friend to protect her parents.

"You seem like the type of girl that knows what's best for her, Persephone. Survival of the fittest, is it not? You've made it this far already, my my, I'm starting to believe you can do anything." Katherine licked her eyes. "We're equals in that way, surviving is what I do best."

"What do you want from me?" Being compared to a monster made her blood boil, and Percy was unable to hide the disgust from her voice.

"What do you know about the Original vampires?"

The term was somewhere in Artemis' book, but in that moment- she didn't know if it was anxiety or just adrenaline kicking in and disorienting her- she couldn't remember anything important about them.

"The first vampires ever created," Percy raised her eyebrows. She was good at pretending that she knew what was happening when she clearly didn't, it was almost like a talent. "The Mikaelson family."

 _Mikaelson, Erikson_...it was something that ended with - _son_. She was sure of it, and apparently, she'd said the right name because Katherine nodded at her words.

"They're coming to Mystic Falls. It's only a matter of time before they get here and destroy this town."

Percy stared at her. Katherine Pierce was someone described as being everything but selfless. If she mentioned the Original family destroying town, what she clearly meant was that they were going to destroy _her._

 _The truth is, I never loved you._ Percy could still picture the face Damon had made when she'd said those words to him. _It was always Stefan._

If there was something Percy hated more than prophecies, it was people who lied about their feelings.

And Katherine, monster or not, had played with someone's feeling, shattering them almost as much as Percy had shattered herself by falling for someone that was forbidden for her. In that moment, all she could feel for the monster was pure hatred and disgust.

She was selfish and self-centered, someone that would never care about Mystic Falls or anyone there; Katherine would never, _ever_ care about someone that was not herself.

"You mean they're coming to destroy _you_."

Katherine's silence was enough answer.

"You need someone to take care of them for once and for all, and of course, who is better for that job than the fucking Heroine of Olympus," Percy sneered, showing for once her real disgust and leaving her smoothness behind as she eyed the vampire.

It took Katherine a long moment to answer, and when she did, it was with unexpected confidence. "I'm glad we came to understand each other. So, we should discuss how to get rid of them-"

The daughter of Poseidon wondered briefly if every monster in that town wanted aid from every new creature they encountered, or if they only wanted _her_ help.

"I'm not interested in anything regarding mortal-monsters."

She was still wondering why everyone was so keen on receiving her help when she couldn't even help herself. It made no sense, it was as if they thought she was invincible or something, someone that could make it through everything and just kill without remorse.

Then she thought of her actions in Tartarus, and she swallowed the heavy feeling on her throat.

That was so hypocritical of her.

She _had_ killed without remorse.

When she came to her senses, she found that Katherine was still talking. "As you probably know, the Originals are harder to kill than us common vampires. But for you, with that magic sword of yours, it will be easier than swaying a fly-"

"I will fret over the Originals when the time comes," Percy interrupted her, standing from the couch and watching as Katherine's face seemed to darken as she stood too. "I want you to go."

The vampire closed down on her, barely leaving any space between them as she looked up at the demigoddess, who was taller. "You're making a big mistake." Her voice held a silent threat, and the demigoddess chuckled dryly.

"No, it's _you_ whose making a big mistake," Percy said, pushing at her with all her strength; Katherine went flying backwards and hit the wall, shattering a great part of it, leaving a hole that would be very hard to hide.

The demigoddess advanced as the vampire groaned and started to stand.

"How dare you-" Katherine snarled.

Percy grabbed her by the throat just as she was about to lunge at her. "No. How dare _you_ come into _my_ house, harm _my_ parents, and pretend that I'd accept to be your bitch without thinking about it? _Bullshit_ -" She threw her against the crystal table her mother always hated, and watched with extreme satisfaction as it broke along with the vampire.

"Seaweed Brain, watch out!"

She turned in time to feel the heavy weight of Mason Lockwood colliding with hers and throwing her to the ground, successfully pinning her as she struggled with his unexpected heavy weigh. Katherine popped behind Mason after jumping at the blonde demigoddess and throwing her against the wall; a loud crunching noise followed and made Percy stiffen.

"No..."

Things got messy in matter of a few seconds.

Her eyes could only see the unconscious figure of her best friend lying on the floor, everything in between was a nuisance.

In a second, she was at her side on the floor, checking her pulse and breathing in choked relief when she felt a faint thump against her fingers.

Her fingers were full of blood, fresh blood.

"What the hell..." Percy breathed, confused.

A gaps behind her made her turn, body still trembling. Alaric was standing over the corpse of Mason Lockwood, watching with wide eyes the heart that lay across the room, the heart that used to belong inside the body of the young werewolf man.

"Percy..." Alaric breathed. "What did you do?"

"I don't know," The words were out of her mouth without her brain's permission.

The blood on her hands was proof enough that she had killed the werewolf. But she had no recollection of actually doing it.

"Where's Katherine?" Alaric continued, shaking his head and forcefully looking away from the corpse, he couldn't stand the way it looked. Mouth curled into a silent scream, eyes wide, a sticky white substance soaking his neck and jaw- was that water? Internal fluids? - the hole on his chest where his heart used to be...

"I don't know."

A small choked breath had Percy looking down at her friend, who was lazily trying to open her eyes and completely regain consciousness. The green-eyed girl caressed her golden curls and gently helped her to sit when she asked her to.

She opened her mouth to speak, still looking a little disoriented, but Percy hushed her. "How do you feel? Got anything broken?"

Annabeth moved her body a little, checking for the familiar sensation, but after a moment, she shook her head. "I don't think so. Help me up, please?"

Percy obliged in time to see Alaric staring at the sword on the floor, which was soaked with blood. He looked up and met her sea-green eyes, but quickly looked away, unable to stare at her for longer.

"Katherine attacked me," Annabeth frowned, looking at the older man in the room and almost asking if that was indeed what happened. When he nodded, she continued, voice growing thick with rage, "I was trying to help you and that bitch threw me against the wall-!"

"You probably have a conclusion," Alaric moved to check her, but she shook her head. "Let me see."

"I'm fine, this was nothing." She was already pacing around the room and looking around for any sign of the vampire.

"You hurt yourself, we all heard your bones collide against the wall, you _should_ be hurt-" Alaric frowned. He then turned and stared at the frozen raven-haired girl, whose eyes were now stuck on the heart laying on the carpet. "Just like you shouldn't be able to tear a man's heart out of his chest so...easily."

Both demigoddesses winced collectively.

She had never done that before, and she wasn't sure how she had managed to do it.

"Newsflash, buddy," Percy sighed. "We're not your average teenage girls." She paused for a moment, then swallowed. "How are you?"

"I'm alive," Alaric breathed, looking down at his hands for a reason the girls couldn't understand. "So there's that."

Percy felt more and more disoriented with every passing second. She couldn't look down and see Mason's body lying there on the floor, not when it was so clear how he had died. Something inside of her was screaming in triumph and that was enough answer.

"This was messy," Annabeth sighed, looking at the corpse. "What exactly did you do to him, Seaweed Brain?" The was a hidden edge of worry on her voice, one that her friend couldn't miss.

"I prefer not to answer that." _I don't really know for sure. I didn't want to. I couldn't think._

"You promised me you wouldn't do that again," Annabeth reminded her, unable not to. There was a long pause, then she continued in a breath, "When I suggested we killed him I never thought you...I..."

How could she explain it? They used to fight together and destroy monsters threatening their safety as a team, and somehow it had became a bonding exercise for them. But in Mason's death there was nothing to bond about. There was nothing familiar in the way he died.

 _ **And now you've disappointed her.**_

Percy looked away in time for Kronos' voice to get louder. **_Again._**

What could she say? She couldn't even remember what she'd done.

What was wrong with her?

She wanted to scream until her voice ran out and the only pain she could feel was physical one.

 ** _The little faith she had in you is now completely gone, look at her- she can't even look at you in the eye._**

"I need help disposing the body," Percy forced herself to speak, to drown that voice. "I-I don't know what to do with it, I've never-"

"You've never killed anyone before?" Alaric stared at her, doubt on his eyes.

"The monsters I kill don't leave corpses," Percy corrected.

There was a small pause. Annabeth was trying to stay focused and ignore how much her head actually hurt, all the while worrying over her friend and her actions. Alaric was trying to make something out of that confession, but had nothing.

The blonde demigoddess was the first to break the silence. "I'll use the Mist on them-" She pointed to the kitchen, where the Jackson's and Jenna were. "-to make them forget about this."

"The Mist?" Alaric stared at her, eyes widening in recognition. "Does that mean that you two-"

"Mom can see through the Mist," Percy reminded her friend, grimacing a little.

"I'll explain that there was an attack then, it's fine, they'll understand. That leaves me the strawberry-blonde woman and him-" She pointed with her chin at the older man in the room, who frowned at them both.

"I prefer you two leave me out of your conversation." He cleared his throat a little. "What will you do with the body?"

Percy considered it for a moment. "I can't bury him in my backyard, and I'm new in town so I don't know exactly where I can bury a body and expect it not to be found."

Truth was, she had no desires of actually touching that corpse, not when he was already stinking like saliva and vomit. Not when his heart was laying almost at her feet. Not when she could still feel her stomach tingling with what she'd done to him.

"You know who can help..." Alaric said tentatively. "Look, I know he's annoying and infuriating, but he's buried people before, and he won't feel squeamish over a corpse."

Percy sighed deeply. "I'm not _squeamish_ , and I know. I just don't want to admit that I need his help."

"Tell him what happened," Alaric advised her gently, almost like he cared. "One mention of Katherine and he'll help you without any doubt. He loathes her."

Percy wanted to differ. But then again, _no one can hate you with more intensity than someone who used to love_ _you_. And being honest, she really didn't know them. It was, after all, none of her business who loved who in that town.

 **...**

The trip outside didn't help at all.

Instead of feeling refreshed and clear-headed, it was as if the wind gods had turned against her and decided to make her feel suffocated. The short distance that separated her house from the Salvatore's felt quite eternal.

She was plagued with doubt, concerned with what to tell the vampire that annoyed her so much. She'd denied his begs for help, he could very easily deny hers... She was standing in the porch, about to cross the distance from it to the door and knock when a voice behind her startled her.

"What are you doing here?"

She turned, meeting the curious icy eyes that watched her. "Hi," And then she hated herself when her voice came raspy and vulnerable.

"About time you visited, goddess."

Percy tensed, not because he had accidentally called her by something she technically was, but because his stench reminded her of Mason's, even thought it was nothing alike. The impotence of not knowing her actions hit her again, and she staggered back.

"I-"

"So who did you kill?"

The question made her stare at him, wide eyed.

"Don't look so frightened, that blood ain't yours," Damon whispered, suddenly behind her and leaning his head on her neck, very close to her ear. His hands trailed her waist and then grabbed her wrist a little too tightly, turning her hands up so the red in them could be seen.

She closed her hands into fists, and he let her go, moving back to where he was originally standing.

Damon leaned his head to the side, watching her. "You don't look very well. What's the matter? Mm, judging by the blood there I'll have to say your hydrokinesis didn't work this time." He whistled, eyes still glued to her hands. "Or maybe you were just feeling romantic and decided to tear their heart out too-"

For the first time, she had a small glimpse of Mason and what had happened to him. It was short, just an image of him on the floor choking, all the water stored inside of him turning against him and logging into his throat.

She closed her eyes, but that only made the scene running through her mind more clear.

If he was already dying...why take his heart out?

 _ **Because I told you to.**_

She sucked in a breath, making Damon close his mouth. He narrowed his eyes, only then noticing that the young girl actually looked pale, her hands were trembling and her heart was racing abnormally fast.

"Do you mind if I sit just for a moment?"

 _ **It was fun, was it not?**_

The question surprised Damon as much as it surprised her.

 _ **C'mon, admit it Persephone. You liked it.**_

Two hands cupped her cheeks.

She gasped and opened her eyes- when had she even closed them?- but instead of the golden she was expecting, the eyes looking back at her were an icy blue color. His touch on her was gentle, which was even more unexpected.

"Are you alright?"

 _ **Look at you now, all comfy and friendly with a monster. How low has the mighty heroine fallen...What would our dear Apollo say if he saw you now, frolicking with pitiful monsters?**_

"Damon-" She cleared her throat, but made no move to pry his hands off her face. She thought she didn't have enough strength to even move. "Don't touch me."

His hands moved away from her immediately, but he sat down at her side on the steps of the porch, watching her as she purposely looked ahead of her instead of at him.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I actually have something to ask you," Percy breathed, massaging her tights distractedly.

Damon bumped his shoulder with hers playfully. "If you want to see me naked you just have to ask. I'll obviously won't deny a lady's request."

She laughed, unable not to.

He forced himself not to look triumphant over it, but his words had the desired effect. The green-eyed girl sighed a little before nodding. "You got me there, buddy. I'm _dying_ to see a walking corpse without clothes."

"I see my chance and I will take it-" He started to unbutton his shirt, making her laugh again.

"No, no! Don't do that-" And she moved her hands and started to button the buttons he had unbuttoned, all while still laughing every now and then at the little sounds of protest the vampire was making.

Afterwards, a small pause followed. She went back to looking at her house in the distance, seemingly less anxious as before, but still troubled. He wondered briefly if she was always like that, so full of stress and so busy with supernatural problems.

Something told him she was.

"What were you going to ask me?" Damon inquired, breaking the silence.

"Where can I bury a body?"

Percy could feel his eyes on her, but she wouldn't turn to actually face him. After a small hum of consideration, Damon raised from his spot and offered her a hand to get up. She ignored the hand and got up on her own, making him shrug.

"Little tip, if you're going to kill someone, don't do it in your own house." Damon said. "It'll only make things even more messy."

She wanted to say that she really couldn't control where monsters appeared to attack her, but knew she couldn't.

"Don't you want to know who I killed? I thought you'd be curious."

"The woods work just fine, but it the death was messy it can attract animals and that alone can make anyone suspicious..." He trailed off. "Alright, if I asked who was the poor unfortunate soul to get the ugly side of your pretty little mermaid face, would you tell me?"

"Damon, have you ever done something and afterwards not recall actually doing it?"

"All the time," He rolled his eyes. "Especially when I'm drunk. Can I ask you something, though? This is the first time we're actually speaking without threatening each other, and I'm not complaining, but why are you trusting me with your dilemmas out of nowhere? I thought you wanted nothing to do with us monsters."

"I needed to have a chat with someone," She lied, truth was she wasn't even sure why she had just lowered her walls around him. "Monster to monster."

He scoffed. "Now _you_ 're a monster?"

She gave him a look. "There's many things about me you don't know."

"Because you don't want me to be your friend," He reminded her, "You don't trust me."

The demigoddess sighed as she scanned the area discretely, feeling as if there was someone watching her, but unsure as if there was actually someone there or if she was being paranoid. It was probably the latter.

"I'm trusting you now," She shrugged. "I trust you to help me bury Mason Lockwood's body."

And just like that, his interest was touched.

"What-"

"And I hope you trust me to help you kill Katherine Pierce."

He stared at her, at loss for words for once. She never broke their eye contact, but one of her hands moved to her jacket pockets, where she extracted a small white stone. Damon's eyes widened, and then he looked back up at her, fire on his eyes.

"We've got advantage over her," Percy smirked. "We can take her down."

She could take Katherine down herself, she didn't have to add Damon Salvatore on her plans. But that could convince him completely to help her bury Mason, and truth be told, she thought he deserved to have closure over their failed relationship.

And what was better closure than killing who destroyed your heart?

"You are one evil little girl," Damon purred. He walked down the steps and moved towards the street, not stopping to voice back a, "What are you waiting for, hot stuff? Let's go bury that filthy dog like the mutt he was."

The raven-haired demigoddess had a feeling that the vampire might want to take the moonstone for himself, but for the moment she ignored it and secured it on her pockets again. Then, she followed Damon to her house, where she was forced to drag the corpse to the porch- because she was not inviting him in- and then he grabbed it and stuffed it on the trunk of his car.

"Meet me later at the Boarding House," Damon told her, grunting and coughing at the horrible smell coming from his car. "For fuck's sake, what did you do to him?"

"Same thing I'll do to you if you keep asking," She gave him a hard look. "Now quick. I'll be waiting for you so we can discuss how to team up and get rid of that bitch."

She was already thinking about what to do.

She could let the Salvatore brothers torture her for a while, so they finally managed to get their anger out on her for all she did to them, and then she could tear her pretty little face apart with Riptide and watch as her skin turned to dust...

Yes, that sounded nice.

When Damon was gone, and with him Mason's body, Percy turned and moved to enter her house. She was startled to find it empty, but a little note on the kitchen's table let her know- with some difficulty because of her trouble reading- that Annabeth had convinced her parents to leave the house for a while, just enough for Percy to clean the blood on the rug and calm herself down.

While the green-eyed girl was happy for all her friend was doing, she wished she hadn't been left alone in such a big house.

...Though it was better than having to see the concern written on her parents face.

It took her a while to clean the house, and, as was to be expected, there was no way to fix the hole in the wall. The rug was destroyed too, too bloody to be cleaned, so she was forced to roll it and take it to the garbage container in the street.

As she was heading back inside, she saw someone sitting on the porch.

A man with a kind smile, crinkles around his twinkling eyes, short salt-and-pepper hair, and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a white lab coat over a business suit and had a stethoscope around his neck. By his lap, he had a polished black staff with a live green yellow-eyed python coiled around it.

She would've turned and ran away, recognizing his posture as one gods have, had she not recognized him.

He smiled warmly and comforting; a smile she couldn't help but return, albeit a little hesitantly.

He beckoned her forwards, muttering a gentle, "Hello."

"Hi," She tried to place where she had seen him before, but the memory was a distant echo lost in the thunderous uproar of her thoughts. "I think I know you."

"I'm flattered you remember, dear girl." The man offered her a hand to shake.

Not seeing any danger in him, even thought he had a big staff with a snake, Percy shook his hand. His grip was firm yet gentle; he turned her hands in his, not bothered by the dried blood on them but seemingly looking for something else there.

"Well, I don't really remember you-" Percy started to point out, tugging her hands away from his grasp.

He looked up to meet her eyes; brightest blue against the loveliest shade of sea-green. She felt a hollow, empty feeling settle at her chest and attack, stabbing roughly at the place where her heart was supposed to be. It came back to her then, the realization as to why he was so familiar.

" _Oh_..." Her voice faltered a little, distant flashes of memories invading her mind.

The god knew she had recognized him, but made no attempt to make the situation less awkward than it was starting to be.

"We've never technically met, but we've seen each other in Olympus-" The god paused briefly. "You had a hyacinth flower in your hands the first time I saw you; the smell of it caused you allergies for two days." He eyed her once again, then added, "Is that a broken bone I sense? Recently broken, mm, about two months ago-"

"You're Asclepius," Percy acknowledged easily, the name escaping her mouth without her brain's approval. "The god of medicine."

"And Apollo's son," Asclepius added knowingly, yet never once did his voice sound unkind.

"I know," She looked down for a moment, then looked up again. "You have his eyes."

Asclepius smiled. It took Percy a moment to collect her thoughts and acknowledge the reason why that one specific god was there in that moment. When she did, a dreadful feeling arose from her navel and quickly traveled all the way through her whole body.

"I-I thought Artemis would check if Kronos-"

But Asclepius cut her off. "My aunt checked Tartarus alongside Lord Hades," He paused for a long time, looking for the right words to say what deep down the demigoddess already knew. "His essence is still there."

"But-"

He didn't interrupt her this time, he left her face the reality of the situation.

"I'm sorry, Percy," He said sincerely. "You're too young to be going through this."

Before Percy could have an actual reaction, cold hands gripped her shoulders from behind, a mouth itching towards her ear; then a familiar voice saying, _**Look at how**_ **important** _ **you are, child, Artemis herself isn't here to break the news for you, it's just that spawn of out Golden Boy.**_

Percy was staring at Asclepius, frozen on her spot as the fingers grabbing her shoulders grew colder, its touch almost unbearable. She tried to open her mouth, but found out she couldn't, the coldness of his fingers starting to eat at her bones and freeze her entire body; like a disease trying to penetrate her spirit and break her.

The medicine god was looking over her shoulder, which gave her a spark of hope. Was he seeing that too?

"Don't listen to it," His voice was warm, so warm and comforting that it seemed to battle with the cold grasp of Kronos on her shoulders.

 _ **Look at him, really look at him.**_ One hand found itself at Percy's chin, forcing her head to the side and making her face completely the god in front of her. _**Is he not all you wanted once? A family with Apollo..**_. She could feel his laughter against her back. She flinched. _**He already has one. He doesn't need another one, he doesn't want a family and certainly not with you-**_

"That's enough," Asclepius snapped, taking one step forwards and twisting his staff as he moved.

 _ **Oh, the brave little god-**_ Kronos sneered.

Percy cowered, thinking that he was going to strike her down and end her miserable existence, but instead of doing something remotely close to that, the god wrapped his arms around her body, forcing her head into his chest and warming her cold limbs, his staff disappearing into thin air.

"Kronos-" Percy's words were muffled by his clothes, she still fighting against the god's embrace. "He's-"

But she couldn't continue.

Just like that, reality seemed to hit her and she all but collapsed against the god. He tightened his grip on her, and very gently lowered her until she was sitting down on the porch, head resting against one of the columns.

Percy could hear Asclepius talking, but couldn't actually hear the words he was saying.

Her mind was a mess. Artemis and Hades checked Tartarus...Part of her was convinced she should feel relieved at that, because that meant there was no actual threat coming for her, Kronos was still down there. There would be no more wars.

But at what cost was that all happening?

How could she simply admit that she was having severe hallucinations? The thought of it being real was somehow less frightening than the thought of being mentally unstable.

Too disoriented and hurt to continue over-thinking the situation, she opened her eyes- once again, when had she even closed them?- and faced the medicine god.

"Why are you here?" Percy shook her head, pushing every other thoughts aside.

The question didn't seem to surprise him. "I want to cure you, but only if you're willing to receive the medical help you need."

"Is there even a cure for P...for TDS...for PT-" She couldn't spell the letters together out-loud, and that enough made her explode.

She thought she'd scream, a guttural sound to express her rage and pain and misery, but instead something else happened, something more embarrassing.

She started to _cry._

That struck Asclepius almost as much as one of Zeus' lightning bolts would. The mighty heroine of Olympus was crying in front of him, in front of a god which whom she had never interacted before...He could see her youth in the pained sobs she tried to hide, and that seemed to make him sympathetic to her feelings.

 _After all she went through_ , Asclepius thought, _It was to be expected for her to develop some kind of condition. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was a walk in the park compared to all the other horrible conditions she could've had._

"I'm sorry-" Percy started to say. Why was she even apologizing for crying?

"I'm the god of medicine, I'm more than highly qualified to assist you. There are multiple ways to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. I can guide you through all of them until we find the one that makes it all better for you. It's going to be a long path, I won't lie to you, but we will and we can get through this together."

 _Was he a therapist or psychiatrist too then?_ She had thought he was only the god of medicine. It was the most ridiculous thought she'd had that night, but she couldn't think clearly so she ignored it.

There was only something on her mind. She had to agree, she couldn't keep seeing Kronos everywhere. She couldn't stand the paranoia anymore, the mood swings, the blackouts...she had killed someone just moments earlier and she couldn't even remember how she'd done it.

She needed help.

"I-" She started.

Words weren't needed, Asclepius understood immediately.

"I must leave now," He said. "I cannot be gone too long from Olympus, someone has to be at the Infirmary, and I'm sure you have lots to do in the house before your parents come back. Do you think we could meet tomorrow?"

Truthfully, Percy wished to get it over with as soon as possible, in that precise moment if that was even possible. But she knew it wasn't, it would be- like he said- a very long path, and she was just starting.

"Yes, we can. I only have one condition..." She paused. "No one can know of this. Not my parents, not the other gods, not my friends from Camp."

He gave her a curious look, but accepted her conditions.

Before leaving, he produced a golden envelope from his staff, which had appeared, once again, out of thin air. He offered it to Percy, who was confused but thought it was just medical stuff. When she had it on both hands, she saw a carefully craved initial on the envelope. ** _A._**

She looked up, about to question Asclepius about it, but found that the god had disappeared already.

 _Artemis,_ Percy decided. It was probably a letter from Artemis telling her what her nephew had already told Percy. Or it could be an apology for not being there to tell her personally. The young demigoddess wasn't sure, and she was about to open the letter and find out what it was, when the sound of tires screeching made her flinch and then look back.

A blue vehicle was parking on the Salvatore's residence. A second later, Damon stepped out of his car and waved a hand to beckon the demigoddess to his house.

Percy sighed.

She made Damon a hand gesture to give her a moment, went inside and left the letter on the remaining table, and then walked out of the house and into the street towards the Salvatore Boarding's House.

Stefan was waiting for her at the entrance instead of Damon, which didn't really surprise the demigoddess. She had expected everyone planning to kill Katherine Pierce to know about their encounter already. And she was right, from inside the house she could hear Alaric's voice and knew he was talking with Damon, probably telling him all that she didn't tell him.

The next voice surprised her, and with delight Percy realized it was Annabeth's voice.

Stefan stopped her, politely giving her personal space but holding one hand out to stop her from moving.

"Just so we're clear, you're completely sure it's Katherine who you saw and not Elena? They are-"

"Elena is too weak to take down three adults," Percy replied, and edge to her voice. "And she's not a vampire."

Stefan closed his mouth, nodding at her words. He moved aside to let her enter through the doorstep, and Percy then moved forwards into what was, quite literally, the monster's house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** _Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and The trails of Apollo don't belong to me, obviously. Same goes for __The Vampire Diaries and The Originals._

 _The links for the girls outfit for the masquerade ball are on my profile._

 _English is not my native language so I am very sorry for the mistakes I might have._

 **...**

 **Chapter 11**

 **...**

"We're willing to let you aid us in our mission," Annabeth stared at Damon, Stefan and Alaric, to then meet Percy's eyes. "But for that we need to trust each other. We need to know Katherine's plans, the reason she's back and _why_ is that little stone so important."

"It'll be to no avail if we kill her but her plans carry on." Percy continued, crossing her arms over her chest, discretely feeling for the little moonstone she'd taken from the well without the Lockwood werewolf noticing.

"We have a deal," Stefan faced Annabeth, pointing briefly to the raven-haired girl at her side. "Percy and us, a peaceful treaty."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "I am aware of that."

Stefan nodded. "It means something to us. We hope it means something to you too."

Before anyone else could say something, Damon piped in with a, "What my brother is trying to say is, basically: you do something against us, we kill you."

Anger made the raven-haired demigoddess squirm, but she said nothing, knowing her friend was more than capable of defending herself.

"I'd like to see you try," Replied the grey-eyed girl. " _Leech._ "

Damon took a threatening step forwards, but was promptly pulled back by his brother and best friend.

Percy and Alaric shared a look, and then the younger girl took a step forwards. "We're here to plan the murder of Katherine Pierce, not ours, so just fucking _chill_ and stop acting like impulsive idiots."

"She started it-"

"What are you, five?" Annabeth mocked the vampire.

Percy sighed exasperatedly, sharing a look with Stefan and Alaric. "Mr. Saltzman, tell us about the curse Katherine wants to break, please." She begged him.

"Please-" Stefan interrupted them, one of his hands actually making the motion of stopping something. "Just promise me that whatever happens, Elena stays out of this. I don't want her involved in any of this."

The two half-goddesses in the room took a moment to process his request, sharing a curious look before the dark-haired girl shrugged and nodded.

"You're telling me vampires are capable of love?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows, startled. "You love a human girl?"

"Very Edward and Bella," Percy joked to herself.

"Vampires are capable of pretty much anything a human can do," Damon forced a smile at the blonds girl, choosing to ignore the Twilight comment. "Though we're better by far."

"The better species in the room begs to differ."

Damon blinked at the blonde demigoddess. "Oh, you mean Percy?"

Said girl looked at him, frowning in confusion.

He seemed to rejoice in the way those grey eyes flared dangerously, and said with a thoughtful expression:  
"We've seen Percy use her freaky water powers a couple of times. We, however, have never seen you do anything. What help could you be to us?"

The blonde demigoddess lost her mind over that petty little comment. "I don't need powers to destroy you-"

Percy grabbed her and pulled her back before she could actually pounce on the vampire. "Control your hubris, Wise Girl. And you, shut the fuck up before I make you forget your name."

Damon smirked, and all but purred out his words. "You can make me forget all you want, sweetheart."

"Alright," Percy sighed, settling her very tired eyes on the only human in the room. "Please, do tell us the story before I let my friend commit murder on this very tiresome vampire."

Damon put his hand over his dead heart was, faux hurt.

Alaric obliged. "We don't really know much about it. The Sun and Moon Curse is an ancient Aztec curse that a great shaman put 1000 years ago on vampires and werewolves. The curse decreed that the werewolves would only be able to turn into a werewolf on a full moon, and that the vampires would be weakened by the sun, which made the werewolves servants of the moon, and the vampires slaves to the sun."

"We know that," Percy told him politely. "What else?"

"We are yet to know how to break it or what elements are required to begin the ritual," Stefan shook his head. "All we know is that the moonstone is important."

"It mustn't fall into wrong hands," Damon looked at Percy, but didn't mention to his brother the fact that he knew where the moonstone was.

Percy was surprised, having thought that he'd tell everyone she had it.

"We also know that Mason didn't really want to break the curse, but that he was actually doing it only because it was what Katherine wanted," Annabeth continued, deep in thoughts by then.

Something wasn't right, something about that curse seemed _strange._

"But, why would Katherine want this curse to break? She's not selfless, she's far from it. Not to mention that she would be giving werewolves the power to destroy ever single vampire in existence-"

"Oh, gods, that's tempting," Percy almost purred those words, heat surging through her whole body at the thought of destroying a whole species so easily. The darkness she'd tried to repress almost screamed at that, almost tasting victory.

The vampires and vampire hunter scowled almost at the same time, thinking almost the same. _Gods?_

"I agree." Annabeth smirked.

Stefan agreed with Damon. "There must be a reason for her to want the curse broken. There's something she wants, something she desires."

The daughter of Poseidon thought back to the way Katherine had mentioned something about the Original Vampires.

After a second, she waved that thought aside.

There was no way all that mess was related.

"Anyways, with that discussed, let's talk about how we're going to act tomorrow." Annabeth cleared her throat.

"Tomorrow she dies," Percy said icily, fueled by hatred as she remembered the way Katherine had thrown Annabeth across the room. Her veins ached with rage, hating the image of her friend laying unconscious on the floor. "It _has_ to be tomorrow."

The raven-haired teenager wasn't willing to jeopardize her education any longer; college awaited her. Life outside of high-school awaited her.

Hopefully, if Asclepius managed to make her demons disappear, _happiness_ awaited her.

"Katherine dies tomorrow," Stefan and Alaric echoed, feeling obliged to.

They looked at Damon, doubt on their eyes. He had loved her for 145 years. That was something not easily forgotten.

"Salvatore?" Annabeth glared at him, catching the way the others seemed to doubt him.

"Tomorrow," He agreed.

And so, the murder of Katherine Pierce was planned.

 **...**

Both demigoddesses refused to stay longer than necessary at the Boarding House, so when all was planned, they walked away. Damon accompanied them, possibly thinking they could be killed in such a _long_ trip.

"You are so observant," Damon commented sarcastically when the blonde demigoddess mentioned how ridiculous it was for him to walk with them when they were perfectly capable of walking alone.

"And you're a fucking asshole."

The blonde demigoddess huffed and then walked as fast as she could without running, distancing herself from her friend and the vampire.

Damon smirked. "Language."

The blonde girl raised her left hand, giving him the middle finger without even turning.

Damon's smirk widened, if it was even possible.

When she was finally out of earshot, Percy slapped Damon's arm. "What did you do to anger Annabeth?"

"You mean she's usually not this cheerful and polite?" Damon raised his eyebrows. Percy gave him a look, and he simply shrugged. "I made a comment about blondes-"

Percy groaned, disgusted. "Ugh, say no more. Really, shut up, I can't stand you."

"I love you too, goddess."

Percy stopped, holding one hand out for Damon to stop too. She looked back at her house, seeing her parents eyeing her from one of the windows and Annabeth waiting for her by the door.

Damon raised his eyebrows at her, confused by her sudden stop. "What is it? Oh, right, okay, no flirting with you-"

"Shut up, that's not it. Listen to me," Percy's hand on his arm felt warm. He frowned, confused. "We have to talk."

Truthfully, the green-eyed demigoddess wasn't sure why she was having that conversation with him. The only thing she was sure of was that she wanted Katherine dead; she was endangering Mystic Falls…

She had endangered _Annabeth._  
That she could never, _ever_ , forget nor forgive.

Damon took a moment to process her words, then narrowed his eyes. "Know the whole life story?" He pushed her hand away.

"Nope," Percy shook her head. "Listen, I just know you had a thing with Katherine-"

"And you think I'm going to fuck it all-!" Damon's scowl was venomous.

"I'm not doubting you, unlike your brother, I know how complicated love is." She paused, thinking that maybe she should've said nothing. "I just wanted to let you know that I won't let Katherine get away this time. I promise you I will end her."

 _And I need to you promise that you won't back down when Katherine starts begging for her life._

Percy thought about how painful it could be to see someone you love, or loved, dying. The last thing she wanted, or needed, was Damon or Stefan backing down at the last moment.

For Stefan she wasn't really worried, he had Elena. But Damon? He had no one.

"You pity me," Damon looked sick. "You discovered what happened between Katherine and me, and you pity me, so you decide to add me to your little murder plans-"

"Pity you? No, please," Percy scoffed. "I can't pity you for loving someone. That's something _pure_ , something _good_."

"Oh, but you're wrong," Damon glared at her, almost spitting his words out. "I loved her; she never loved me. It was Stefan who always had her heart. There's nothing pure, nothing good, about being used."

There was more history to the Salvatore brothers and Katherine Pierce than she could ever imagine.

How painful that must've been. To love someone to the depths of your heart, only to have them prefer your sibling.

"Damon, I'm so sorry." Percy said sincerely. "I can only imagine how much that hurts."

The vampire watched her carefully, desiring to know if the young girl was being honest about her words or not. He could only see sincerity on her eyes, so he accepted her words with a curt nod.

"I know you're taking it quite personal because Katherine hurt your friend, you clearly care about her. But my brother and I have more reason to want her gone. This is our fight."

"Damon, I just want to make sure you'll be alright," Percy said carefully. "Seeing someone you love, or loved, dead isn't pretty."

 _And because I need you to be ready for when Katherine dies_. Percy wanted him to understand that whatever happened, Katherine would die. There was no way she would let her escape again. He had to be ready to see her dead, to understand that he wouldn't see her ever again.

Because if he tried to stop her from killing Katherine, she wouldn't hesitate to kill _him._

"Do you know that by experience?"

The question was so unexpected and sudden that it made the young girl froze, her breath dying on her throat.

Damon watched her carefully, a glimpse of malice on his eyes. "It's painful, is it not? To be forcefully reminded of your past?"

"You don't know anything about my past," Her voice was hard, an edge of anger there that he found entertaining.

"Neither do you about mine. Yet you still opened your mouth and talked about what didn't concern you."

She opened her mouth to start retorting, "I-"

Damon cut her off. "I'm not willing to live up to anyone's expectations, Percy. You might know something about my past, but you don't truly know me. Don't you dare make another speculations about who I am or what I would or would not do." He wanted Katherine gone, end of the story.

"Damon-" Percy started, but didn't know how to continue. The vampire was right.

"I'm not the good guy and I will never be."

The next words that came out of her mouth were just something impulsive her mind thought but that she never processed before saying. "I know."

Damon looked like he was just hit.

They stared at each other for some long seconds.

Why did he look so hurt? Anxiety filled her stomach and she wondered if what he was wanting to hear was that she had faith in him, even if she didn't. The truth hurt, but it was something she always preferred over a lie. And she was honest with Damon.

Percy looked back briefly when she heard the main door open. Paul was at the porch, looking at them with his arms crossed over his chest. For once he actually looked more like a strict parent than the handsome model she often thought him to be. She looked back at where Damon had been, but he was gone.

"Come inside, Percy." Paul voice was kind, warm. "It's late."

The young demigoddess knew they had lots of things to discuss before the night ended. They deserved to know about the attack, after all. Not the whole thing, though. They didn't need to worry more about the messy situation she had gotten herself involved in.

"I'm coming, Paul."

She entered the house, not before looking back at the Salvatore's Boarding House in the short-distance that separated their houses.

Paul guided her gently towards the kitchen, where they found Sally waiting for them. Annabeth was nowhere to be seen, which made Percy think she had gone upstairs to give them some privacy.

Sally trapped her in a gigantic hug.

"I'm fine, mom," Percy chuckled, but melted into the loving embrace of her mother.

"How are you?" Paul asked, rubbing her back gently when she separated from Sally. "What happened earlier?"

"I took care of the situation," Percy assured them, a bit tense at the memory of Mason Lockwood. "I'm sorry for the mess I created. Mom, I destroyed your favorite table, and there's a hole in the wall. I tried to fix it but it was impossible."

"Oh, none of that matters!" Sally rolled her eyes. "What matters is that you're safe. Don't look at us like that, dear, we're fine. That monster only made us fall asleep."

"Still, I should've been there to protect you instead of being moping in my room," She lamented.

Sally and Paul shared a look, then rolled their eyes almost at the same time. Percy had to fight hard to hide the smile that threatened to show on her young face. That was the good thing about them, about her parents, that they were able to understand that as a demigoddess, monsters were going to attack her, and they weren't easily frightened by them.

"We can protect ourselves," Paul reminded her, smiling in a way that was almost smug. "Actually, it's kind of thrilling to fight monsters. Love, do you remember when I shot down that monster in Manhattan?"

"I do remember," Sally chuckled. "I killed another monster myself."

Percy grinned at them. "And that was totally badass of you two."

Sally and Paul shared a grin. He took one of her hands on his own and kissed her palm very gently, muttering something that only Sally heard, ("That's my queen"), which made her blush lightly, a warm, loving smile on her face.

"I love you," Sally brightened, already deeply lost on her husband's eyes.

"And I you."

Percy looked away, a little uncomfortable.

Her parents noticed, and both blushed at how easily they had forgotten about her there with them.

"Should we inform Chiron about the attack?" Paul asked, clearing his throat.

Sally looked anxious, and said, "Do you want to go back to Camp?"

Of course she wanted to go back, New York was her _home_. _Camp_ was her home.

But it was gone now, that part of her life where she lived there was long gone.

All the good times she spent there were just a distant memory that threatened to dissolve with every passing second. She had a new life now, a life in another state.

A life that she needed to get used to before it was too late.

Percy had to get used to many, many things. Moving around being one of them. From Manhattan to Mystic Falls, then at the end of the year to California, to a camp that wasn't the one she practically grew up at. While she liked Camp Jupiter, she was starting to feel kind of empty at the thought of changing her beloved Camp Half-Blood for it.

But then she imagined herself in Camp Jupiter with Annabeth. All she could see was light, a place where they could build a future.

A place where they could grow old together and find happiness.

She was swallowed by something that felt like a flashback but wasn't. She had a glimpse of a modern, clean apartment in New York. An attractive blonde man accompanied by two identical little girls with blonde hair and sea-green eyes, the three of them laughing and looking like a happy family. Percy felt herself walking in their direction, like drawn to them, drawn to the light they irradiated. They looked up, their faces brightening upon seeing her. The twin girls jumped on her and kissed her, squealing. The blonde man chuckled and moved to kiss his wife, asking her how her day at work had been.

And she was happy, she was _whole._

And that was why she hated to think of the future.

Gaea's vision had always bothered both Apollo and her greatly; it was a vision of all they could never have.  
Percy always tried not to think about it, but she heard the word "future" and that plagued her mind.

"Dear?" Sally's voice sounded almost far away.

"No," Percy was grateful for the interruption. "I'm staying here."

"Are you sure?"

"Think it through, love" Sally moved to the refrigerator and bent down to look for something. "You safety comes first. If you have to go, we understand."

"I'm fine," Percy smiled, sincerely smiled. "Or I will be, I promise."

She thought of Camp Jupiter with Annabeth again, and that was enough to make her regain her joyfulness.  
And Hades, even thinking about Gaea's tempting vision made her jubilant.

That would never happen, not with Apollo, but so what? Having a house and a husband and children was something she still wanted. It was a part of her future that she would be able to have eventually, and the thought of living long enough to get it made her happy.

A normal, loving family of her own. Without Kronos in her life, without the gods ruining everything for her.

Yes; she desired that, _desperately_.

"So I was thinking that-" Sally started.

The daughter of Poseidon planted a kiss on her cheek, making her laugh delightedly, uttering a " _Percy!_ " that echoed through the room.

"You're either happy or just wanted me to shut up," Sally noticed with delight, straightening and holding a water bottle towards her husband. "Oh, dear gods above, our daughter is happy."

"Is there a reason for said happiness?" Paul grinned, accepting the bottle his wife offered him.

Percy was lost for words. Asclepius words came back to her, and she couldn't hide the brilliant smile that cornered her lips. She shrugged her shoulders, still irradiating some kind of new light.

"I'm just hopeful for the future, I guess."

Looking at it now, actually thinking about the situation instead of gulping it all down as she had earlier that night, she realized that she was indeed feeling a powerful hope that set her bones on fire and made her want to scream out from excitement.

She was going to get better.

She was going to learn how to control her urges.

She was going to stop seeing Kronos everywhere!

Oh, gods of Olympus.

 _She was going to be the girl she used to be._

Her happiness was fractured when an ugly thought crossed her mind, a voice alike Kronos' own raspy, hoarse one whispering doubts at her. _ **I won't be destroyed so easily, child. Not this time.**_

 _No._ Percy gasped out. _I won't let you bring me down again._

Her stepfather seemed content with the last thing she had said. He clapped his hands once, and said, "That's the spirit, dear. Now why don't you go upstairs and wait with Annabeth while we make a quick dinner for you two, huh? Does that sound good, honey?"

Percy forced a smile at them. "You got it, Paul."

As the young demigoddess turned and headed for the staircase, Sally sighed happily, leaning into Paul and smiling when he kissed her forehead. One of her hands found her still plain stomach, caressing gently at it as she wondered when would it be a good time to tell her daughter the news.

"Soon," Paul kissed her cheek lovingly. "Soon we'll tell her."

"Soon we'll be a proper family."

"I'm just worried about her reaction," Paul admitted. "I don't want her to think she's less important now. She's seventeen so I shouldn't worry so much about it, but I really don't want to damage the relationship I've managed to maintain with her."

"Oh, Paul. You know Percy-"

"Not as well as you," Paul shook his head. "She's still getting used to me, to _us_. We've been married for almost two years now, but-"

"Stop worrying, she loves you." Sally said, keeping her voice down in case her daughter could still hear them from the stairs. "This is something important; I want to be able to speak with her without any sort of interruption. You saw what happened today, that monster-"

"Maybe tomorrow there won't be any interruption." Paul said, always the optimistic. "No monsters, no friends coming over to visit, no interruptions of any kind."

"Maybe," Sally agreed, sighing. "I hope so."

 **...**

There were dark waters between the daughter of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena. That much was obvious. After all, there was bound to be some hesitancy between them after what happened.

Percy entered her room feeling optimistic and hopeful. Feelings that died away when it was evident that her best friend didn't want to see her.

 _ **I told you so. I told you she was ashamed of you.**_

"Look, Anna-" Percy started to say after the silence was unbearable and Kronos' voice seemed to get louder. "I don't know what to tell you. I can't change what happened. I understand that it bothers you, so if you want to leave, you're free to do it."

 _ **Are you ashamed of yourself too, Persephone?**_ She felt his laughter, and started to see his shape forming close to the closet at her left side. It started at the face, Luke's once handsome face- now covered in red blotches. Then it was his chest and his arms, and finally his feet. His whole body seemed to be red, like he'd taken an excruciatingly long sun-tan. It frightened her so much that she quickly looked away and forced her heart to calm down, now knowing that it was only a hallucination and that it couldn't really hurt her. **_How sweet, you want her to leave town so she doesn't see what a mess you are._**

"I'm just-" Annabeth breathed out. "Percy, you tore his heart out!"

 _ **It won't work. Even a blind man would notice the mess you are.**_

"I-" Percy closed her mouth. "I know."

Annabeth was in silence for another long while, shaking her head all the while.

Then she looked up, fire on her stormy-grey eyes. "This thing you have with Kronos is clearly damaging you, controlling you even-"

Kronos started to walk around the blonde demigoddess, even daring to put one of his burned out hands on her neck, almost like he wanted to choke her. What he did was worst; he licked at her neck. **How kind of her, but she doesn't believe that. She's just saying what you want to hear.**

"-We need to find a way to get it fixed. I won't lose you too to Kronos, I'll fight him myself if I have to."

She looked to where she'd last seen Kronos, but there was nothing there. Annabeth seemed normal, then Percy reminded herself that it was an actual hallucination; her friend couldn't feel Kronos licking her.

Her anxiety started to leave her body.

She was _safe_.

"There's no need for that," Percy said, though deeply touched by those words. "Kronos is still rotting in Tartarus. I'm the one with the problem."

A couple of seconds passed in complete silence.

"Oh." The blonde girl breathed out after what felt like a thousand years. "Oh, Percy, I am so sorry. But how?"

 _How?_ Tartarus, Hera messing with her mind, fucking Gaea resurfacing. That was _how_.

"Artemis checked Tartarus with Uncle Hades and found that Kronos' essence is still scattered down there. They put two and two together..." Percy sighed tiredly, moving one hand over her hair. "So Artemis sent Asclepius to me."

Annabeth was surprised and devastated. She was relieved it wasn't that Kronos was actually back, no one wanted nor needed another war. But the concern she was expressing for her friend's mental health was heart-wrenching.

"Asclepius, you say? Apollo's son?" She asked quietly, her mind working extra-fast by then.

"That would be him, yes."

"He's a great doctor," Annabeth assured Percy, nodding thoughtfully, though clearly stressed. "Last year when I was working on how to re-build the infirmary, I saw him. What I saw Asclepius do to an injured nymph was truly astounding."

"That I've heard. He assured me he can help me, so there's something worth looking forwards to."

"When do you start meeting him? And where? How will the sessions be?"

"We start tomorrow, as for where and how it will be, I don't know. But he promised to help me get through everything and vowed to do all he can to help me overcome this thing-"

"PTSD," Annabeth added helpfully.

"I know the name, Wise Girl, I don't like using it."

There was yet another pause between them.

The blonde demigoddess shook her head and forced a big smile to her friend. "Cheer up, that means you will get over it! A god will help you, and know some gods are quite stubborn when they want to do something."

Percy nodded, though couldn't seem to find the happiness and hope she had just minutes before.

"You will make it, I know it. I'm here for you, now and always." Annabeth promised.

"Thank you," Percy said truthfully.

"We all are, all of us-"

"No, no," The daughter of the sea was quick to shook her head. "Our friends cannot know about this."

"Alright, I respect your decision, Seaweed Brain. But there's someone that deserves to know about the situation, remember? Nico. He's going through the same thing as you...as _us_."

Too immerse on his own demons and how to control them, the son of Hades had a ray of sunshine on his life to help him, quite literally. Percy didn't want to be the unnecessary burden on his shoulders.

"Remember," Annabeth added gently. "You are not alone. You have us. You have me."

No. Annabeth was busy looking for her cousin and also working to keep her grades up.

Nico had Will.

The seven and Reyna weren't close enough for her to actually seek their support.

She loved them and would die for them, but some things were too personal to share.

Apollo wasn't in her life anymore.

Hermes wasn't really around lately.

Her parents were busy, (she hadn't seen Poseidon in _months_ ) and she'd rather die than admit to them that she was sick.

She had no one.

That was something she was forced to face _alone._

"I'll call him tomorrow, after we kill that vampire. It's been a while since we last IM'd each other."

The daughter of Athena moved to sit at the bed, thoughtfully watching her friend move around the room. Percy searched for something to do, anything else to say, but had nothing.

"I'm tired," She said quietly, almost to herself.

"What did Artemis say?" Annabeth asked out of nowhere. "What were her exact words regarding Kronos' and Tartarus?" It could be important, she was sure of that.

Percy closed her eyes and rested her back against the nearest wall. "I dunno, she wasn't here."

"Artemis wasn't here?"

The raven-haired demigoddess shrugged again in answer, hiding how much that hurt her. They had been close. But apparently, like everything good in her life, that was ancient history.

"She didn't even call? No I.M?"

"Not really. I mean, she left me a letter with Asclepius-"

"What are you waiting for then? It might be important! Go on, read her letter!"

"But it's _downstairs_ ," Percy complained. "At the table, and I'm tired. I want to sleep. And eat. But mostly sleep."

"You're impossible," The blonde demigoddess rolled her eyes. "Should I read it for you? Knowing you and your lazy ass, you won't even get through the first line without complaining. And don't you dare give me the dyslexia card. I am dyslexic too yet I read."

"I like to read," Percy defended herself. "I don't do it often but I do read- oh, never mind. Yes, please; read the letter for me and tell me what it says."

The green-eyed girl was too tired to actually care about the letter, even if it was from Artemis.

The grey-eyed beauty tried to hide a smile at that, but couldn't. "I'll be right back."

But Annabeth's " _I'll be right back_ " was a complete lie. Percy was drifting away into Morpheus arms, half an hour later, when a light tap on her shoulder waked her. The first thing her sea-green eyes saw were a pair of stormy-grey ones. She blinked a couple of times to focus on that familiar face.

"Oh, hey, sorry I fell asleep-" She moved her fingers under her chin, worried she might've been drooling again.

"I need you to be properly awake, Seaweed Brain."

The way she looked intrigued the other demigoddess so much that she was able to shake her sleep off her, and moved to a sitting position. She moved to take Riptide from under her pillow, but stopped when her friend shook her head.

"No, no, there's no need for that," The blonde girl hesitated a little, then offered her a broken envelope with a golden parchment inside. It took her a moment to realize it was Artemis' letter. When she did, a groan escaped her lips.

"Are you seriously waking me up to tell me to _read_?"

"Percy, it's not from Artemis."

That confused the green-eyed, raven-haired teenager. "What do you mean it's not from Artemis?" It had to be, it had an **_A_** on top and that goddess had been the one to send Asclepius to her, there was no one else that would want to write her.

She shook her head. "Read it."

Percy scowled at her and then at the letter between her fingers.

"Wise Girl, you're frightening me. Just tell me what's wrong, who is this letter from?"

She didn't want to admit she was scared to open and read it. Her friend's face was too sympathetic for her liking.

Panic overcame her senses, and she grabbed the letter from her friend's hands almost violently. She was about to take the parchment out of the envelope when a knock on the door made both girls jump. Annabeth swiftly motioned to Percy to hide the letter, and she did. The door flew open and Sally appeared before them, eyebrows raised in contemplation. "Girls, dinner has been ready for almost an hour now. What are you two waiting for? Are you not hungry?"

They were there, frozen on spot with their hearts hammering wildly. Every single time something remotely important happened, one of Percy's parents would come upstairs and interrupt them.  
 _Every single time._

"Nonsense, I'm always hungry, mom."

Percy rose from the bed and moved to follow her mother, the letter still hidden on her jean pockets. Her friend tugged at her arm and shook her head discretely, eyes firmly set on her pocket and the bulge on it.

"Don't read it downstairs."

Annoyed with all the mystery that letter seemed to contain, Percy scowled at her friend, but listened to her, knowing her friend probably had a reason to say so. She left the letter on her bed, and then they descended behind the sea's daughter's mom.

"We made you your favorite. We figured you deserved it after fighting a monster for the first time in months."

Both demigoddesses flinched at the unknown lie.

They entered the kitchen, with the daughter of Poseidon purposely ignoring the wide hole in the wall that she could perfectly see from her spot at the table, besides the daughter of Athena and in front of her mother, who had already ate but wanted to keep them company.

They forced the food down their throats, no longer hungry but anxious. Sally noticed their efforts to hide whatever was bothering them, and tried to distract them.

"Dear, do you have plans for tomorrow?"

It was an honest question, so she was confused when both girls flinched.

Percy swallowed the food she'd been chewing before nodding. "Mhm. We're going shopping first thing in the morning, and since it's been ages since we had some fun, we thought of going to the masquerade party you mentioned a while back."

That's where they've planned to kill Katherine at. Stefan and Damon wanted to make it public. At first the demigoddesses refused, thinking of the mortals around them, but in the end accepted.

"I leave Mystic Falls the day after tomorrow," Annabeth added nonchalantly, picking at her food. "We decided to have some fun before my departing. You know, girl stuff."

Girl stuff was getting a cute, pink dress or gossiping about cute and/or hot boys.

Girl stuff was definitely not planning on buying a red dress so Katherine's blood wouldn't stain her dress. Still, Percy was sure her friend would look gorgeous in red.

"What color of dresses have you thought of?" Sally inquired.

"Red, like the blood of my enemies," Annabeth joked, stone-faced.

"Blue..." Percy shrugged. "Though preferably golden. I like how white and golden looks."

"Blue and gold looks rather good too," Sally suggested. "But it has to be dark blue."

"And black and gold," Annabeth jumped suddenly. " _Please_ , Seaweed Brain, you got to find a black dress with gold accessories. You'll look like a queen."

"A queen and someone who dresses like the blood of their enemies. I think we make _quite_ a team."

Sally laughed when the demigoddesses shared a high-five.

They stayed talking for a long while, but when it got too late, Annabeth and Percy went to bed.

As Percy reached out to take the letter that had been haunting her mind for hours, Annabeth stopped her.

"Don't," She said softly, gently. "Let's just go to bed."

Percy wanted to point out that her anxiety regarding that letter had been caused by her, but, too tired to actually point it out, she nodded and let herself be consumed by Morpheus arms again, Annabeth's own arms wrapping themselves around her waist, pulling her to herself.

Percy didn't question it. She was thankful for the warm contact.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked seconds before drifting to sleep.

"Mmm?"

"Don't drool on me, please."

She laughed, despite herself. "I can't promise anything."

 **...**

The following morning, Percy was getting ready to go out and buy a dress when her mother barged into her room, scowling while saying that someone was looking for her. Curious and confused, the demigoddess went down, only to see her neighbor at the door, looking cross and annoyed.

"Hi, Damon," She greeted politely, knowing her mother was watching intently their conversation.

"We have a complication," Damon started upon seeing her. "It's getting quite hard to contact you lately, why don't you have a phone?"

"What happened?" Percy asked, alarmed. She felt for Riptide on her pockets, but didn't actually took it out.

"Where's your friend?"

"Taking a bath," Percy replied, then repeated. "What happened?"

Damon motioned her to step away, looking behind Percy, where the young girl was sure her mother was discretely keeping an eye on her. Sally used to find Damon charming, but it alarmed her how much they'd been seeing each other. The least she wanted was her daughter to have another relationship with an older man.

When Percy stepped outside and closed the door behind her back, Damon inclined his head towards hers to be as quiet as possible.

"You're gonna love this," He said sarcastically. "Caroline saw Katherine today at the Grill. She sent us a nice, polite message. Either we hand her the moonstone or she rips this town apart until it rains blood. Oh, and she wants us to meet her at the masquerade ball."

Percy had been frowning since hearing the threat against the mortals, but at the end of his sentence, she started to smirk.

"We have her where we want her to be," She breathed out, a dangerous gleam on her green eyes. "She's desperate, killing her werewolf probably threw her off guard."

"We're going to need a witch," Damon pointed out, stressing his words.

" _Why_?" Percy frowned, against the idea of having a witch with them that night, much less if said witch was Bonnie Bennett.

"Knowing Katherine like I do, she probably has a witch with her and will find a way to protect herself against any attempt we might make to overthrown her. Is there any way you or your blonde friend happen to be witches?"

"I told you already, I am no witch," Percy rolled her eyes, exasperated. "We're perfectly able to take her down without having to retort to a witch, but if it makes you feel better, I can contact a friend of mine."

"Perfect," Damon interrupted her. "So we have a witch, two vampires, a vampire hunter and two unknown species."

Percy ignored his lame attempt at being told what she was, and grinned. "She's going down tonight."

"Listen," Damon said suddenly. "Ric's coming over to the Boarding House in a few..." He let the statement hang in the air, shrugging.

"Well, um, we're going shopping for dresses. But we'll be there," Percy promised. "Um, I'll call my friend too, so the three of us will be there before we leave. I suppose you want to go over the plan again, right?"

"How will your friend arrive here before tonight if you still haven't talked to her? New York is far away-"

"She lives in California," Percy interrupted him. "And she'll manage, don't worry about that."

As he was walking away towards his own house, Damon stopped and turned back to look at her, hesitating a little before making his mind and nodding.

"Be careful," He said, voice gentle. He felt the urge to protect her and watch out for her well-being, which was ridiculous since he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. "Katherine might go after you."

Percy wanted to brag about being more than able to take her down if she indeed decided to attack, but decided against it.

"Be careful there, Damon," She had an edge of amusement on her sweet voice. "I might start thinking you care about me."

He was struck with how truly gorgeous that young woman was. It felt like taking something for granted as tolerable only to then realize how different and truly alluring it was.

"You and me both, honey." He replied.

She giggled, her sea-green eyes gleaming.

 **...**

It was nice to go shopping with her best friend. Made Percy feel almost normal, like a normal seventeen-years old girl without any worry in the world.

The daughter of Athena got a red dress that made her look like a queen, quite literally. She was truly and undeniably gorgeous, so much that it made her friend's heart jump in her chest when she saw her trying it on. Percy got a black dress with golden accessories and a golden mask, like he friend and mother suggested her to. She thought she looked pretty, but not as downright gorgeous as her best friend.

After getting the dresses, they drove away from the local mall and towards The Grill to get lunch. The daughter of Poseidon felt excitement building up on her stomach and then traveling through her whole body. They would meet their friend there! They sent her an Iris Message and agreed to meet there.

"Hi, Matt," Percy greeted happily as she entered the restaurant with Annabeth following.

"Hi, Percy, how are you?" He walked towards her, hands on his apron.

As they greeted each other politely and animatedly, making small-talk about silly, unimportant things, the blonde demigoddess looked around curiously. Her eyes settled on a girl sitting at the back, looking at a menu and happily ordering something to another waitress.

"Do you want a table?" Matt asked, smiling at them.

"Yes-" Percy started to say.

"No," Annabeth interrupted her, pointing to where that young girl was sitting. "We're with her."

She pointed to an African-American young girl with shoulder-length curly cinnamon brown hair and gold eyes. Those eyes, instead of frightening her as Kronos' golden ones did, warmed Percy to her very core and filled her with happiness.

"We're with her, thanks," She gave one last smile to Matt, who seemed happy to help.

Then both demigoddesses quickly made their way towards their younger friend, grinning widely all the way.

"How's my favorite girl doing?" Percy said as a way of greeting her.

Startled, the dark-skinned girl looked up.  
A wide, brilliant smile appeared on her face when she recognized them. She quickly stood from the chair she was sitting at and enveloped the daughter of Poseidon in a big, warm hug, then did the same to the daughter of Athena.

"Oh, Percy! It's so good to see you!" She cried enthusiastically. "You too, Annabeth!"

"We missed you so much!" Annabeth chuckled. "How are you? How is Camp Jupiter, how are Frank and the others?"

"Oh, we're fine," The young witch waved the question aside. "Frank is an amazing Praetor, I'm so proud of him. You guys should see him," She blushed a little. "Anyhow, how have you girls been? What can I help with?"

"Well," Percy started in a sigh that meant that everything was awful.

Her friend was there and with her the feeling of being able to rely on her and her kindness, it made her feel so safe and so good. She could barely talk at all.

"There's a lot going on," Annabeth continued for Percy. "Let's have lunch while we share stories, how does that sound?"

"Perfect," She said cheerfully. "I cannot stay for long, though. Reyna wants Frank and me to go to Camp Half-Blood tomorrow. Friendly visit, she says. But we all know she just wants an excuse for me to be able to visit my brother. I'm very grateful for that."

"Oh," Percy was disappointed to hear that she wouldn't stay much longer, but forced herself to smile again. "No worries, dear. This will only take you a couple of hours."

"You're free to go as soon as we finish this self-applied mission." Annabeth added.

"So, who are you going to kill?" The thirteen-years old girl asked curiously, then gasped abashedly. "Okay, killing sounds too harsh. How about, who are we seriously going to injure?"

"A vampire," Annabeth informed her, watching her reaction very carefully. "A mortal vampire, mind you."

"Though we wanted you to help us out protecting this one mortal girl that seems to be the target of said vampire. Or even better, every single mortal at the party-"

"Okay, hold on. Explain. I don't understand."

Annabeth made a sound of agreement. "Kelp Head, I know you suck at explaining easy things, but if you'd please make some effort into letting our friend know about the thing we're involving her into, that would be great, thank you."

Rolling her eyes at the manner in which the blonde girl had spoken, the raven-haired girl nodded her head and started to explain the situation at hand. Not wanting to be overheard by wrong people or even by mortals, the young witch- Hecate's protégée, actually- was quick to manipulate the Mist around them so that anyone with bad intentions could not be able to hear their conversation.

When all was said, Percy had only one last question to make.

"Will you help us?"

Eyes set and mouth tightened into a thin line, the younger demigoddess nodded without hesitation. "I will."

 **...**

It was good that Percy's parents had planned to have a romantic date out of town that exact same night, because it would have been hard for Percy to explain that her other demigoddess friend has just arrived in town, and that she was just there to go to the masquerade party with them.

Sally was smart, she wouldn't believe that even if the god of truth itself was telling her.

So, Percy savored her small triumph, getting ready for the party and helping her friends get ready too.

The daughter of Poseidon hid Riptide (on it's pen form, of course) on the space between her breasts, not having any other place to put it since her beautiful dress had no pockets. The daughter of Athena hid her dagger on the garter she was wearing under her red dress, and the daughter of Pluto masked her long Spatha as part of her outfit, which consisted of jeans and a cute white shirt.

When they were ready, they marched towards the Salvatore's Boarding House.

"What happened to your drakon bone sword, anyways?" The cinnamon-haired young girl asked curiously.

Annabeth flushed a little. "I still have it, of course. But I got this new dagger last month, it's easier to wield. I'm more used to using a dagger than a sword, if I'm honest."

"You're skilled either way," The young girl smiled at her, which made her smile too at her kindness.

Percy knocked at the Salvatore's door, which opened within a couple of seconds of her knocking on it.

There stood Stefan Salvatore, already dressed in a tux and looking ready for anything. He was attractive, the young girls had to admit that.

"Hi," Percy greeted him, almost casually. "You cleaned up nicely, well done. I was almost able to overlook the beast within your edgy charade."

He moved aside to let them enter. "Thanks, Percy. I think you look as lovely as ever." He sighed tiredly, then seemed to realize there was another unknown teenager there.

Before he could ask, his brother and Alaric appeared before them, both men properly dressed and ready to go. The vampire hunter had a crossbow on arms, along with some other weapons the demigoddesses chose to ignore for the moment.

"Welcome, girls-" Damon chuckled cynically, "Feeling in the mood to kill a manipulative, nasty bitch?"

"Always," Annabeth replied.

The icy-eyed vampire widened his eyes at the sight of the blonde demigoddess, stunned by her and how royal she looked. He smirking, drowning in the sight of such beauty. He looked at the next girl, though he could not recognize her, he was able to say she was brutally gorgeous too, though probably thirteen or fourteen years old.

His eyes went back to the blonde girl, unable to take his eyes off her.

"You look hot," He commented casually, having fought against the urge to call her gorgeous. "Keep it up."

"I'm flattered," Annabeth said sarcastically. "Deeply touched, gee, thank you."

"He meant to say you look gorgeous," Stefan smiled kindly at her.

"And that red is definitely your color," Alaric added hopefully.

They looked at Damon, who nodded. "Absolutely."

Annabeth was scary, and even them, who barely knew her at all, noticed it.

Percy found the whole situation amusing, but only showed it through a small smile.

When her blonde friend turned to her, she adopted a more serious attitude and stepped forwards, being in the middle of the room and consequently the center of everyone's attention.

"Alright, so listen very carefully because I will not repeat myself. Tonight is the night that we kill Katherine Pierce, as redundant as that is starting to sound just now. God, it's all I talk about lately." Percy sighed, "Um, anyways, let's go over our plans, shall we? Alaric?"

"I'm the back-up plan. If things fail and she tries to run, I'll be at the back entrance with a stake in hand and a vervain grenade, ready for her." Alaric straightened then added, "She'll expect me to be at Jenna's looking out for her, so she won't suspect of my presence at the party."

"Precisely. Wise Girl?"

"I will be keeping an eye on Tyler Lockwood, who I, if I might add, have never seen before-"

"That's irrelevant, continue."

"We know Katherine is on edge since Mason died, she's probably already looking out to make Tyler trigger his lycanthropy. I'll make sure nothing happens tonight to him so that he stays human."

Percy nodded in agreement to the plans so far, then stepped towards the dark-skinned girl, gently bringing her forwards until they could see her clearly.

"This," Percy smiled proudly. "Is one of my best friends and cousin, Hazel Lavesque."

Hazel gave them all a sweet smile, though her eyes watered at the horrible stench those monsters had. Something inside of her wanted to snap, wanted to tear their faces off and destroy them, but she pushed it down. Killing them all without them giving her a reason would be incredibly rude of her.

If that was the effect mortal monsters had on those half-goddesses such as herself, Percy and Annabeth, she hated it.

"Hello, Hazel, welcome to Mystic Falls," The green-eyed vampire said politely. "I'm Stefan Salvatore and this is my brother Damon, and our friend Ric."

"She's the witch you mentioned?" Damon glanced at Percy.

The three demigoddesses shared a look. Hazel wasn't actually a witch, but the apprentice of the goddess of magic. All she was going to do that night was to be done with Mist and not with actual magic. Hecate hadn't started teaching her how to work real magic just yet.

"Yes..." Hazel hesitated a little, something that didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"Dear Hazel here will be protecting Lockwood's mansion so no mortals inside gets hurt." Percy told them. Stefan started to open his mouth. "Before you ask, yes. Hazel will also put a spell on your precious doppelgänger and her family so that Katherine won't be able to hurt them or use them as leverages anymore." There was a small pause. "I thought of everything."

Stefan's face was grateful, his smile sincere. "Thank you."

For the first time that night, Percy felt a little insecure. "Don't thank me, I'm not doing this for any of you. I'm doing this for me."

"Selfish little brat," Damon commented with a smirk. "I knew there was a reason for me to like you."

"I'd rather you didn't like me at all."

"C'mon, I thought we were friends."

She ignored him. "As I was saying, the rest of you will be occupied, Stefan will lure Katherine somewhere far from mortals, where Damon and I will be waiting. She bargains for her life, she tries to manipulate you two, she fights back, whatever; I stop her and Damon here will stick a stake through her heart."

"You've been awfully cooperative lately," Stefan commented, an edge of curiosity to his voice.

First helping them fool Sheriff Forbes into thinking they were just mere humans, then killing Mason Lockwood and now preparing everything for them to murder Katherine Pierce.

"I can't be hostile all the time," Percy sighed. "Believe me, I've tried."

Hazel and Annabeth stiffed their snorts, knowing perfectly well how true that was.

There was a small pause in which the vampire hunter showed them all the weapons he had and how to use them. "This works with compressed air. The trigger mechanism is up here. I have two of these in a different size. For you I recommend this one, it fits nicely under the jacket sleeve. You use the trigger when you're ready, and..." He fakes killing a vampire.

Damon and Stefan shared a look.

Alaric smirked a little, "You wanted me to show you how to kill a vampire."

Percy laughed at their widened eyes and how fearful they looked. She was starting to like her History professor more and more as time passed.

"How will you stop her?" Annabeth suddenly asked, turning to Percy. "You never said how."

Percy froze, heart hammering wildly on her chest.

The vampires in the room looked at her, startled by her agitated heartbeat.

That reaction was enough to let the blonde girl know that she had planned to use her powers- powers acquired in Tartarus- to stop and capture Katherine. Unable to hide her disappointment, the blonde girl looked away.

"Wise Girl, trust me," Percy ended up saying, choking up her pain at her friend's reaction. "I know what I'm doing, so please, just trust me."

"You always end up hurting yourself when you use those powers, don't think I didn't notice how shaken you were yesterday," Annabeth reminded her quietly. "I'm just worried. Are you sure you can do that and not, um, be triggered?"

Alaric scowled at that, wondering and trying to pierce everything together.

Truth was, Percy wasn't sure at all about anything.

She had planned on stopping Katherine without having to retort to choking her like she choked Mysery, like she choked Mason.

But truth be told, Katherine was probably hard to be stopped, and if she had to retort to those powers to stop the evil vampire, she wasn't going to hold back.

"Triggered?" Stefan frowned, sharing a look with his brother.

Damon was scowling at the teenagers. "What do you mean?"

"None of your business." Percy snapped. She changed her language to ancient Greek, wanting some privacy _. "I swear I won't let it control me. And if I do, remember I'm supposed to meet Asclepius later tonight. I will be alright._ "

But Annabeth wasn't reassured at all, and if she was honest, Percy herself wasn't really sure about how alright she would be.

"But if you see Kro-" Annabeth started in English, to then realize they were surrounded by untrustworthy people. And Hazel, they could trust Hazel, but Percy didn't want her to know.

 _"I'm meeting Asclepius tonight_ ," Percy repeated firmly, again in Greek. " _I will be alright_."

Hazel watched them silently, frowning in contemplation. She observed the girl she had grown very close to in a matter of a couple of months, but couldn't find anything different about her. Only her eyes; they lacked its usual gleam.

"Are you okay, Percy?" Hazel asked worriedly.

What could be so private that they'd shift to their godly language? She didn't know Greek, so she was very lost.

"I am." Percy assured her in a quiet voice, wanting to keep the whole situation private.

"What the hell was that?" Damon scoffed, scowling all the while, trying to recognize the language.

"That's a dead language," Alaric breathed out. "That's-"

"Mr. Saltzman, please," Percy gave him a look. "Let's focus on what's important."

Alaric was starting to feel extremely confused. So far, those girls had mentioned really strange things. Like their mention of the Mist after Percy killed Mason. Then now they were speaking ancient Greek...

The vampires stared at her for a little while, still very confused and a little worried for themselves, but then Stefan looked down at the watch on his wrist and looked up.

"It's time," He said.

"Let's go," Percy looked at Hazel and Annabeth. "Ready?"

"We are."

They looked at each other, for the first time and probably the only time it would ever happen, as a team rather than enemies.

 **...**

The Lockwood's mansion was quite impressive. More on the inside than the outside. It was a mix of modern and ancient style, so obviously, the blonde demigoddess loved it; she was in awe as they entered through the main door.

Hazel disappeared immediately, moving towards where she could feel an unknown, magical presence lurking. A witch hunting for another witch.

After being told who Tyler Lockwood was, Annabeth approached him and his group of friends.

"Hazel's spell will only last for tonight, so we ought to end this now," Percy advised them, "Don't go around thinking your precious Elena will be safe forever with that spell."

They nodded in understanding. "Still, thank you."

Percy wished they'd stop thanking her. It made her feel connected to them, as if their treaty was extending and forming into a friendship, something which she never wanted.

Hermes had told her to remember that they were monsters; told her not to get too involved with them...

And there she was, deeply involved with them in a mission to murder another vampire.

She could almost see Hermes face-palming and shaking his head at her.

"Percy," A petite girl appeared in front of her. Brown hair and black eyes. Sun kissed skin. Pretty smile and freckles all around her cheeks and nose. "I thought you weren't coming to the party!"

"Emma," Percy breathed out. "Hi. Gods, you look gorgeous."

Emma giggled a little, a blush appearing on her sun-kissed cheeks. "Thank you, Percy. You look very beautiful, too."

Percy felt a blush warming her cheeks, and smiled down at the floor.

"Do you want to hang out with me for a while?" When she looked up, she saw that Emma had been staring at her with a small smile.

"Of course!"

Her only mortal friend in Mystic Falls High School was Emma. Percy adored her to pieces.

She was one of the cutest humans Percy knew. Quite literally. Always kind and polite, always cheerful and upbeat. Emma dressed in light, cheerful colors; though when it was awfully chilly, she wore ugly sweaters that looked very comfy and warm. Once or twice Percy saw her wearing a black leather jacket, which was a drastic change to her usual cheerful, bright style. Percy was intrigued then; she wanted to know all there was to know about that cute girl with, apparently, a hidden punk side.

Best of all things, she loved the ocean. Like, _really_ loved it. She was part of a club of freaks that loved nature more than they loved themselves- Emma's words, not Percy's- that cleaned local beaches every week.

"I saw the cutest thing this morning and thought of you," Emma brightened, smiling at Percy.

Flustered, Percy breathed out a, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, yes. I was in St. Richards- that's a beach, mind you- when I saw this thing that was a lot like a sea-shell, but suite bigger and more brighter." Emma stumbled over her words. "I can't verbally describe it," She lamented. "But I took it with me! I have it in my backpack, so I can show you tomorrow at school how it looks. It's super, super pretty."

Percy smiled. "You find everything pretty."

Emma smiled back. "I do. There's beauty in everything."

"Even in me?" Percy joked, aware that she looked like shit on school, always wearing hoodies and thick jackets, her hair always pulled back into a messy pony-tail, her face never bearing any kind of makeup.

"Specially in you."

Even more flustered than before, Percy found herself scoffing to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"Please, girl. I'm trash, I'm shit."

"High quality trash, then." Emma winked at her, making her internally die. They moved around, not quite planning on going somewhere but content with moving around. "What made you come to the party? I thought you didn't like this sort of things."

"I don't particularly dislike these events, I just think there's a lot of them in this town. And besides, I always end up messing shit up; burning stuff down and making halls explode."

Emma raised her eyebrows, amusement marked on her face. "How?"

"I'm very, very clumsy," Percy lied, abashedly.

Emma, who was extremely clumsy herself, couldn't help but laugh at that. Percy was everything but clumsy, she'd seen her walk around gracefully and without any kind of hesitation. "Sod off, you. You're making fun of me now."

"I would never," Percy playfully bumped her hip against Emma's. "But really, I guess that luck is just never on my side."

She took a strawberry from the nearest tray. _What kind of party had fruit as one of its appetizers?_ Emma returned the friendly bump, one of her hands moving and taking the strawberry Percy was guiding to her mouth. Percy raised her eyebrows, about to open her mouth to sass her for stealing her strawberry.

But then Emma took a bite of the fruit and smiled. "Well, I think I was lucky to meet you."

Percy couldn't do anything but smile.

They talked for a lot of time. It was when the dancing was about to start that Percy was hit with a familiar stench. She stopped laughing at what Emma was saying, and scowled.

Katherine had arrived.

Looking at Emma, Percy felt the need to protect her. Hazel had put a spell around the mansion, so they were safe, but she still didn't want to risk her friend.

So she said, "Hey, Emma. Is it too improper of me to be in this party and not know Carol Lockwood?"

Emma raised her eyebrows, then Damon passed them by, touching Percy's back and leaning towards her to say against her ear, "It's starting. Be careful." He walked away, disappearing between the mass of mortals dancing and talking.

"You too," Percy whispered, knowing he could hear her.

When she looked back at her mortal friend, she saw her curiously looking to where Damon had disappeared.

"We're neighbors," Percy shrugged, not knowing how else to describe the relationship she had with the Salvatore vampires.

"He's insanely attractive," Emma whistled low.

"I suppose, but his personality sucks. He's a dick."

Emma laughed. "Aren't we all?"

Percy laughed too, then remembered Katherine was around there somewhere and that she needed to start moving and looking out for her.

"I'm going to look and see if I can find my mom or Carol Lockwood, so, um..." Percy trailed off, not really wanting to leave. "I'll see you later?"

"Probably, I'm stuck here," Emma sighed. "My knuckle-headed brother won't leave until he gets to make-out with at least one or two drunk girls. Disgusting, I know."

Percy grimaced. "If I see you after I- after I find Carol or my mother, I'll take you home. Promise"

Emma brightened. "That would be lovely, thank you."

"And if not, I'll see you at school tomorrow," Percy blew her a kiss, then turned and walked away, her body trembling with adrenaline and the promise of the hunt.

It was starting.

 **...**

"Finally," A familiar voice sighed.

Percy had entered the room where she could feel the Mist most prominent at, turned once she was inside, and saw Annabeth there.

They removed their masks, Percy with a little sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

"Where were you, Seaweed Brain?"

"Not important, I'm here now."

Annabeth nodded and started to tell her the progress of the situation. "Hazel did all we asked her to do; she also immobilized the witch Katherine brought with her. Stefan is currently in the gardens dancing with Katherine, I think she's going to ask him about the moonstone soon."

Percy had left the moonstone hidden on her house. It was safe there, no vampires had been invited to her house.

"Alaric is ready too," Annabeth added. "And I took care of Tyler. He's safe and having fun. The cute boy you talked with at that restaurant we went to today? He and this other girl were compelled by Katherine to make Tyler snap and kill them."

"Katherine did what to Matt?" Percy asked, confused. At the look her friend gave her, she had to act as though she knew what that was. "That _bitch_. Are Matt and the girl alright?"

"They're fine, I just had to knock them out. The mind-compulsion will wear off when they wake up."

Oh, so _that_ was compulsion. _Mind-control._

Wait, vampires had mind-controlling powers? _What?_

She shook her head, pushing that back. "Where's Damon?"

At the mention of the icy-eyed vampire, the blonde demigoddess flushed a deep scarlet color. Apparently flustered by something, she opened her mouth but all that came out of her lips was a huff of indignation, then more blush was added to her cheeks. Percy watched all those reactions with confusion, one eyebrow raised in contemplation. She waited and waited, but her friend seemed to have no words to say.

"Wise Girl?"

"I don't know where he is," She said at last. "He _should_ be here."

Percy was about to tear her hair off. Katherine was there! They had to act quick or they would lose the opportunity of ending her! Everyone else was in place, even her, who was having a very nice time with Emma Darcy, why the hell couldn't Damon be responsible and-

"And here I am," Damon appeared suddenly before them, a smirk dangling off his lips. "Hello, girls."

"And this is my cue to leave. I'm heading down to watch over Tyler again, and help Hazel out in whatever she needs. Good luck to you two."

"Oh, don't go-" Damon started, eyeing her ass as she passed by him.

Percy sighed, fed up with his behavior. Moving towards him, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the door which, once opened, revealed itself to be a closet.

"Claws down, kitty," Damon remarked, making force on her hand to see if she would budge. "Ouch."

"There," She removed her hand. He quickly went to touch his slightly sore wrist, though he would never admit how much had her touch hurt. She was seriously strong; he was still shocked over her strength. "We must stay here until she comes. I don't know what's happening down there but-"

"That's because you don't have a phone," Damon stressed, closing the closet door and turning to face the demigoddess. "You're a teen, you're bound to have one. Why don't you?"

"Long story."

"I have time. Forever, actually."

"Not if you keep asking me personal questions."

"You know, your death threats are seriously starting to annoy me."

"Your whole existence annoys me," Percy returned sweetly.

Damon would've answered her had he not heard his brother come into the room, Katherine following closely, laughing and purring all the way. There was a loud bumping sound and then some moans.

Of course, what better way to lure Katherine than to have her crush make out with her?

Percy's eyes were wide when she looked at Damon. But he was purposely fixated on the crossbow Alaric had given him. He could feel her eyes on him, eyes filled with sympathy, and that only fueled his rage even more.

Another bumping sound, but this one was different.

Stefan grunted a little, but it was Katherine's voice that they heard. "You don't really think that you can kill me with that now, do you?" She sounded cold.

"No," Stefan sounded calm, relaxed. Since Katherine was staring at him, she did not see how the closet door behind her back opened, Damon and Percy stepping out of it. "But he can."

Damon aimed the crossbow at her, and shoot.

The stake went through her back smoothly, close to the heart but not quite there.

She grunted.

Then the fight actually started.

Katherine was stronger than Damon and Stefan by far. They tried several times to stake her, but she always managed to overthrow them. Percy watched without moving, letting them have that fight; they needed to feel useful, to feel like they were the ones to hurt Katherine this time.

When both Salvatore vampires were on the floor and groaning, Katherine turned to Percy. "Oh, boys. This little bastard won't be able to stop me."

 _Bastard._

And it was Elementary School all over. All those kids sneering whenever the subject of Percy being the daughter of a single young woman and an unknown man was brought up by any teacher. Then in Camp, the whispered words of the nereids about how disgraceful it was for Poseidon to have cheated on Amphitrite again. In Atlantis, the way Amphitrite acted upon meeting her. She'd swam away even before Poseidon could finish introducing them. The way Triton had mocked her for her bravery and bluntly declared his dislike for her, obviously annoyed that her father had let that little bastard child enter his domains.

The demigoddess snapped.

She used all the strength she had to throw a kick in Katherine's direction. The vampire went flying sideways and crashed against the closet door, breaking it upon contact. The door was wooden, which created multiple splinters that impaled Katherine on her stomach and arms, pinning her there.

"Try again," Percy replied coldly.

Damon moved forwards, stake ready. Percy forced herself to move away, wanting to be the one to murder Katherine but knowing she had to leave them have a go at it.

"Goodbye, Katherine," Stefan smirked.

Damon flicked the stake before moving his hand up to get better impact, and then-

"I've linked Elena to myself," Katherine laughed through the pain. Damon froze. "All you do to me, she feels."

Pain flashed through Stefan's eyes, before he forced himself to trust the witch they had on their side.

Katherine laughed and then rose to a standing position, taking the splinters and the stakes she had stuck on her body out. She grabbed the stake from Damon's hands and tauntingly walked away.

Damon urgently looked at Percy, who shook her head discreetly. _Elena was safe._

"You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side?" The demigoddess was starting to feel fed up with how smug her words were. "Wrong, and something tells me that my witch is better than your witch."

"I'll..." Stefan breathed out. "Elena-"

He was a good actor. Percy would've believed his grief was real had she not been the one to plan the protection of Elena Gilbert with Hazel and Stefan himself.

"Oh, Elena, Elena, _always_ Elena," Katherine mocked. An idea surged through her mind. She held the stake in the air and made a movement to stab herself on the stomach. "This is really going to hurt."

"Wait!" Damon cried out at the same time as Percy slapped the stake out of her hand.

Katherine pouted at the demigoddess. "It's not fair. I didn't know we could bring deities to this encounter. I would've called a few friends had I known."

Percy tensed.

"Oh, don't start with Percy now," Damon rolled his eyes at his ex-girlfriend. "She is with us in our desires to see you rotting in hell, but this is between the three of us."

Stefan nodded in agreement. "Leave her out of this."

Percy was surprised. They were defending her?

Katherine widened her eyes, then laughed loudly, head thrown back in laughter.

"Oh, this is too good to be true. The huntress befriending its prey. Your daddy would be so disappointed right now. I imagine that is why he hasn't been around lately-" Her laughter turned into a choked gasp.

Stefan and Damon scowled, startled.

They turned to look at Percy when they remembered what she could do, though immediately wished they weren't looking at her in that moment.

The demigoddess looked downright demonic.

It scared them to some extent; her eyes were hard and cold, her mouth pulled back into a sneer of disgust, her hand slightly raised in Katherine's direction. They could've sworn her sea-green eyes were a dark grey now, like the color of the sea during a hurricane.

The smile completely dropped off Katherine's face as she fought to regain her breathing, fighting against the liquid that was suddenly filling her throat.

"Don't you dare talk about my father," Percy sounded cold, ravenous. Then she willed the water filling the vampire's throat to go down again. Some part of her was curious as to _how_ Katherine knew so much about her, but she was so angry that it escaped her mind to ask.

Katherine gasped deeply, finally getting some air into her lungs.

"This is the kind of girl you're relying on?" Katherine snapped at the Salvatore's, "She knows I'm linked to Elena and still made me choke!"

"You're not linked to Elena," Damon told her, exasperated and still slightly agitated by the way he'd seen Katherine choke. It worried him to end up annoying Percy too much one day and finding himself with that same fate.

That was definitely not the way he wanted to be tortured.

Katherine looked at him like he was a child. "I am."

"You're not," Stefan was the one laughing now. "For once, we thought ahead of you-"

But Katherine would not believe them.

Percy moved away from them, hands trembling. She could feel the darkness inside of her begging to be left lose; it scared her so much. She didn't want to lose control again, not after the last time. Not after what happened in Camp all those months back, not after she lost control with Mason and ended up killing him.

She needed to gain control, she needed to.. _.breathe._

She was choking. The daughter of Poseidon, choking on the sea of darkness that demanded to be left loose.

Katherine sighed and sat on the only couch in the room. "Where is the moonstone?"

Stefan didn't bat an eyelash as he asked, "What do you want with it?"

Katherine ignored his question, settling for looking at both vampires in the room and purposely ignoring the demigoddess. "Does Elena enjoy having both of you worship at her altar?"

Percy winced, still trembling but unable not to hear that. "Yikes."

Stefan looked at Damon, who shrugged, and then he looked back at Katherine.

"That was really desperate, Katherine. Don't you think that we can see right through you?"

Katherine smirked. "So it doesn't bother you that Damon's in love with your girlfriend?"

Percy grimaced again, not understanding what kind of family could be like that. What kind of siblings could just share a girlfriend? She understood about poly relationships and respected them, but what the Salvatore brothers had with Katherine was so not healthy and so not alike a polyamorous relationship.

It was just strange, and sick.

"Oh, stop it."

"Or what? You'll hurt me? Come on, Stefan. Everything that I feel, Elena feels, so go ahead and hurt me."

When Stefan made no movements as to even touch her, Katherine turned to Damon. "Or better yet, kiss me Damon. She'll feel that too."

Damon gave her a look.

Stefan decided to switch topics, talking about the moonstone again. Percy then shut their voices out of her brain, focusing solely on regaining her senses.

She, however, was unable not to hear this, "In 1864 you faked your death. Who were you running from, Katherine?"

Percy quickly looked up.

Katherine had been running from someone? She thought back to how she had asked for help regarding the Original vampires. Desperate enough to ask her, a _demigoddess_ , to protect her against them.

Katherine swayed her hips seductively until she was standing in front of Stefan. "In 1987 you were in Chicago, at a concert of all places with that wench, Lexi."

Surprise flashed across Stefan's features. When it hit them that for Katherine to know that it meant that she had been watching over Stefan, Damon looked away, accidentally meeting Percy's eyes in the process.

"Come on Stefan, don't look so surprised. Of course I checked in on you over the years. You were standing in the front row, dancing all night. You were watching Bon Jovi and I was watching you."

Stefan wasn't fazed, and if he was, he didn't show it. "Who were you running from?"

Katherine doesn't answer but mouthed " _I love you_ " to Stefan.

Percy decided to step in in that moment. "The Originals. That's who she was running from."

They all looked at her, Katherine with dark eyes. The older vampire looked at Damon and Stefan, but they didn't seem to believe the demigoddess, which made her feel triumphant.

Damon rolled his eyes and waved that away. "The Originals are a myth. No one has ever seen them."

Katherine opened her mouth to say something, eyes still glued to Percy's face, but Stefan interrupted her. "You know, this whole Mason thing has me a bit confused. Why a werewolf? The moonstone can break a curse that would help them destroy all vampires, so what's in that for you?"

Katherine said nothing.

"Sorry about your pet wolf, probably should have kept him on a tighter leash." Damon remarked.

"I'll have to remember that for next time." Katherine forced a smile at them. "He's not the only wolf in town."

"You won't get another werewolf," Percy stepped up towards Katherine threateningly. "As long as I'm alive, I won't let Tyler Lockwood trigger his curse."

Katherine merely smiled. "You won't be alive for long."

Damon scowled again. "I told you to leave her alone, Katherine." His voice was dark, dangerous, his eyes glaring daggers at her.

Katherine was surprised. After a few seconds, her mouth curled into a nasty grin. Damon noticed his mistake instantly, but there was nothing to be done about it. "I like how this scene is playing out. The four of us together. The brother who loved me too much, the one that didn't love me enough and the rebound girl."

"And the evil slut vampire who only loved herself." Damon added, forcing a smirk at her.

Katherine raised her eyebrows, startled. "What happened to you Damon? You used to be so sweet and polite."

"Oh, that Damon died a long time ago."

"Good, he was a bore." Katherine sneered, then returned to stare at the demigoddess. "How does it feel to be the rebound girl?" She chuckled a little. "I'm sorry, I forgot you're used to being one." She lowered her voice, as if telling a secret no one was supposed to hear. "You and I both know that Apollo only saw you as a rebound for Hyacinth, and Daphne, and all the lovers he lost."

That was the last straw.

That's what it made her finally snap and give in to her urges.

Katherine choked, just like she had earlier, just that this time Percy didn't stop. Quicker than before, Katherine blacked out from lack of oxygen after throwing up her own internal fluids, an image that was unforgettable for the immortals in the room.

"Percy-" Stefan started, cautiously moving towards her.

She looked at him, and he backed away.

The other times they had seen her using her powers, she had looked frightening. Now it was completely different. The control she seemed to have on her actions snapped, the sea that was her existence crashing against all reason and seemingly making her lose her mind.

She didn't look like herself.

She looked different, more dangerous, more...inhuman.

It scared them. A set of immortal beings, terrified of the look on her face.

"Death is too kind for her," Percy breathed out. Even her voice sounded off. "She deserves to suffer."

"We can have her rot in the tomb," Damon muttered, still shaken. "W-without blood she's start to rot and decay, eventually turning into a mummy. That's the fate she was supposed to have."

"The fate she escaped from," Stefan added carefully. "It's quite poetic, I think."

Percy was thinking hard then. After a couple of deep breaths, she was able to control her agitated heart and turn towards them, trying to ignore how disoriented she felt. "It's too bad I've never been a believer of kindness towards monsters," And taking Riptide from her bra, she uncapped it. It turned into her sword, to the astonishment of the Salvatore brothers.

"And here I thought I've seen everything." One of them muttered, but she ignored them.

"I'm thinking about a fate worst than being stuck in a tomb rotting away," Percy told them, breathing hard. "I can have her imprisoned on the deepest parts of the ocean, unable to breath or move since she won't have oxygen."

The vampires looked at each other, shocked. Her powers went beyond controlling water? She could imprison someone as powerful as Katherine on the ocean?

"Percy-" Damon started.

"How?" Stefan asked.

She shook her head. "Fine, if you two don't want that-" And in that exact moment Katherine woke up, instantly lunging at her. Percy was more quick and threw a punch at her, making her stumble back against the wall.

Stefan and Damon immediately took a step forwards as Katherine snarled, ready to protect the young girl if necessary.

"Back off, you two-" Katherine snarled at them, pushing at them and throwing them to the other side of the room. "This is between us girls."

The real fight started.

Percy attacked first, using Riptide as a bat and hitting Katherine as hard as she could. The vampire groaned in pain but was clearly good at resisting. She stood and lunged at Percy, throwing her against the wall.

Damon and Stefan moved forwards to attack Katherine, but once again the older vampire threw them away as if it was nothing.

From the floor, they watched both women fight. They'd seen Katherine in action before, but never Percy. The young girl fought like a _demon_ , constantly moving and not letting the other woman overpower her once.

Percy lunged at her, balling her fist straight into her face and making her fall backwards. Now on the floor, before Katherine could move to stand, Percy hit her straight on the face with her high heel, leaving a whole on her forehead that healed rather quick. Katherine snarled and moved to attack her, her face morphing into a monstrosity with fangs and red eyes.

The vampire threw a punch at the demigoddess, but Percy's hand caught her first. Making a lot of force on her fist, Percy managed to break it easily, which left the vampire screaming in pain at the unexpected move.

"Nobody taught you not to mess with species stronger than you?" Percy taunted, moving back until she gave the vampire space to recover. "Or are you just arrogant enough to think you can beat me?"

As was to be expected, Katherine lounged at her, snarling all the while.

Percy stepped her foot down hard, hitting against the end of the crossbow Damon had tried to use against Katherine, making it jump into her hands. Katherine froze a little, but in those seconds of hesitation, Percy shoot at her legs multiple times, making her fall to her knees with a scream.

"Did I forget to mention?" Percy blinked innocently. "We bathed the stakes in vervain. Oops."

Since Katherine was now immobilized on the floor, unable to move, Percy threw the crossbow away and stepped forwards, swinging Riptide- which she had set on the floor as she fought Katherine hand to hand- all the way.

Damon and Stefan stepped forwards, moving so they were at each side of the demigoddess.

"You're making a big mistake," Katherine breathed out, breathing hard as her whole being was in pain. "You can't kill me! Elena needs protection! She's the doppelgänger- she needs to be protected!"

Stefan stirred a little, but Damon wasn't bothered by that. "I'll protect her, then. We don't need you."

Katherine was desperate now, looking back and forth at Stefan and Damon. "Remember what we had! It was special, it was-" She choked up as the vervain on her body seemed to pierce her whole body. "You can't kill me-"

She called herself a survivor. She had survived the Originals themselves, she could not be destroyed by a petty bastard like Persephone Jackson-

"Watch me," Percy wasted no more time and sliced her with her sword.

Katherine screamed in pain, then disappeared into a cloud of dust very similar to sand. Damon and Stefan yelled out and covered themselves, but Percy simply moved her head to the side to be free of the disgusting monster-dust that were the remains of Katherine Pierce. The necklace that protected her from the sun fell to the floor,and that was all that was left of Katerina Petrova.

"What did you do?" Stefan gasped.

"I killed her," Percy turned back to look at them. "She's gone."

They had never, ever, in their decades on Earth, seen something like that.

" _What are you_?" Damon breathed out, mouth open in shock. The last time he'd asked that, he'd tried to attack her. This time, he didn't even move. Slowly, he closed his mouth and his shock was replaced with confusion, then wonder.

"I'm a who, not a what," Percy repeated, using the same words she'd told him before.

"Is she- is she dead?" Stefan dared himself to ask. "Or is she-?"

"She's dead," Percy assured them. "Currently in the underworld waiting for her trial, if mortal-monsters such as vampires even go to the underworld."

"Trial?" Damon and Stefan looked at each other. They didn't question the mention of the underworld, they just thought it was her way of saying 'afterlife'. She had strange ways of saying normal things, they were starting to realize that.

"It's not a myth when people say that in the afterlife you're judged for you actions. Katherine will get the punishment she deserves, that I can assure you two."

There was a stunned silence for a couple of minutes.

Percy moved around trying to fix what they destroyed and threw away on the fight, unable to stand destroying someplace as nice as that mansion was.

"Percy, can I hug you?"

The question startled her.

She turned, only to see both Salvatore vampires looking at her in a new way. She took a step back at the question, then it hit her just then that she killed the person that had hurt them more than anyone else in the whole world.

Swallowing her nausea at their stench, she found herself reluctantly nodding. "I guess I can accept a hug from a monster after what happened."

Damon pushed his brother away and enveloped the seventeen-years old girl in a bone-crushing hug. She breathed out and then returned the hug, letting herself put her defenses down for a second. There was nothing wrong with a hug, even if it came from a monster.

It didn't mean they were suddenly friends or anything...

When Damon moved away, Stefan was the one to hug her, albeit more softly than his brother.

"Thank you," Damon broke the silence surrounding them.

Startled, both Stefan and Percy turned to look at him.

"You didn't have to kill her, you didn't have to help us, much less when we've been so annoying towards you. But you did," He softened his voice, offering her a real smile. "So thank you."

Percy didn't know what to say. She never expected to receive such gratitude from them, from _monsters._

"What my brother said," Stefan nodded, smiling too. "Thank you."

Percy opened her mouth to try and acknowledge their words. But in that exact same moment, Elena Gilbert entered the room, out of breath and looking frightened. "Caroline told me that you were-" The doppelgänger froze when she saw his ex-boyfriend with his arms around the raven-haired girl, and something alike jealousy flashed through her eyes.

"Hey, Elena," Damon called, saving her from whatever she was going to say to Percy and Stefan. "Katherine is dead."

And that was enough to shock her and shut her up. "What?" She breathed out.

Stefan approached her. "Let's go outside, I'll tell you everything."

"Is she...she's really gone?"

Stefan and Elena moved away from the room, walking together towards the gardens.

Percy watched them go away, head tilted to the side.

"Katherine forced them to end their relationship. Now that she's gone, they'll be able to get back together and live happily ever after." His voice changed at the end, something she noticed.

"I'm sorry," Percy acknowledged. "I know you love her."

Damon sighed and looked at her, a little annoyed.

Percy shrugged defensibly. "To be fair, Katherine mentioned you being in love with Elena. And since your brother looked at you rather coldly, I imagined it was true."

Damon shook his head. "Let's go downstairs. I'll grab a bite and some drinks. We can find your friends."

"I hope that by bite you mean actual, human food."

Damon nodded, rolling his eyes. "Unless you're offering to give me some-"

"No."

He raised his arms in defense. "Claws down, kitty. I was kidding."

She glared at him, but then rolled her eyes and moved downstairs with him.

 **...**

The main dance had started. Lots of couples were on the dance floor, laughing and dancing; Stefan and Elena being one of those couples. The daughter of Athena was laughing with the daughter of Pluto when Percy and Damon approached them.

"We made it, she's dead," Percy told them, triumphantly.

"I know, I felt it." Hazel reminded her of her ability to feel when someone died.

Annabeth observed Percy, trying to see something off about her. When she couldn't find anything, she grinned widely. "Well done, Seaweed Brain."

A young boy came forwards and asked Hazel out for a dance. She blushed and tried to deny it, fanning her face in embarrassment, muttering something about Frank, but after settling that it was something completely platonic, they moved away to dance.

"Wanna dance?" Damon offered his arm to Annabeth, who promptly ignored him and moved to dance with Tyler Lockwood, who had been looking at her for quite some time.

Damon then turned to Percy, who raised her eyebrows. "As if I'll ever be your second choice."

"You're not," He promised, hand still outstretched.

She allowed herself to smile. "Fine, but just one dance, and only because we made it."

He escorted her to the dance floor. As they took their positions, with his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders, she asked him. "How are you feeling?"

He actually had to think about it for a second.

"Apart from shocked about your powers and that freaky sword of yours, I feel accomplished," Damon decided. "Katherine's finally gone. After all this time, she finally got what she deserved." Something crossed his eyes, and he then smiled sincerely.

"Success feels addicting, doesn't it?" Percy said knowingly.

That was what demigods loved most about their job, how addicting and earth-shaking it felt to succeed and triumph over their enemies.

"It does." They were in silence for most of the dance. When it ended and Percy started to move away, Damon grabbed her hand gently, and echoed again. "Thank you, really."

She allowed herself another small smile, still startled by his gratitude. "You're welcome."

Percy had started to walk away, but doubt ate away at her brain, refusing to leave.

"Damon, wait-"

He stopped and looked at her.

"Back when we were talking to Katherine, she called me your rebound," Percy started carefully. "I need you to understand something, regardless if what she said is true or false. I cannot be romantically involved with anyone right now, much less if that someone is a monster."

She couldn't even deal with herself, she really doubted she could be in a healthy relationship when she was so messy and broken, hallucinating every five minutes.

Damon smiled a little, which surprised her. When his smile died, he sighed. "Percy, I have no friends."

She was startled by his sincerity. "But Alaric-"

"It's complicated with him. I'm a hard person-"

"I don't find that hard to believe, honestly."

Damon rolled his eyes at that, but promptly softened his stare. "Katherine was wrong. You're not my rebound in any way."

"Then?" Percy asked him, confused. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to be your friend."

That was definitely not what she expected to hear.

She was out of words, considering a friendship with a mortal-monster something she would never, ever do in her young life. But then again, they had made a good team that night. They had lots in common, and as time passed, she found that he wasn't as annoying as she thought him to be when he wasn't trying to discover what she was.

"Like I said, I don't have much friends. Elena and Alaric are probably the only ones I can trust in this town. And I know that you're a prejudiced person; you don't like us monsters. But I like you. You're one of the few mortals I've got to like in such a short time-"

"You're babbling," Percy interrupted him, amused. "Are you nervous?"

"Well, of course. I'm not particularly fond of choking to death." He sounded a little sarcastic.

She laughed a little. "I won't make you choke as long as you don't do anything against me. That includes annoying me."

He smirked a little, then went all serious. "Look, I understand that you don't like us monsters-"

"I have my reasons, you know? Monsters haven't exactly made my life easier."

He gave her a curious look before continuing. "My life is constantly filled with shit and problems that I can't seem to solve. To have a friend that is not involved in any of that would be something that I'd like very much."

"Damon, I'm just..." Percy sighed a little. "I'm not a nice person to be around lately, I'm unstable."

His words surprised her, and she found herself extremely related to that. She had Emma in Mystic Falls, but she had to hide who she was with Emma. Damon had already seen her in action and her powers- he didn't know what she was, but still- that was something she realized she liked.

She liked being herself and not having to explain anything to anyone.

She liked the thought of having a supernatural friend that wouldn't judge her. After all, he was pretty messed up too. It would be hypocritical of him to judge her.

Damon shrugged. "So am I."

There was a long pause between them, then, hesitantly, she found herself nodding.

Knowing she wouldn't say anything else of the matter, he found himself giving her a grateful look. "Do you need a ride home? We're neighbors for a reason, I don't mind taking you and your friends to your place."

"Don't worry about it, I've got Paul's car. I'll drive us home."

He nodded. "I'll see you around, then."

"Goodbye."

He gave her one last look. "Just know something-"

She stopped once again, turning to face him. "Mmm?"

"I don't trust very easily. But I'm trusting you." He paused a little. "Don't make me regret it."

"The same goes for you," Percy nodded a little, surprised by his sincerity and his request. "I don't trust easily either, and I've never been friends with someone of your kind. Don't make me regret it."

He smirked a little. "Everything you say ends up sounding like a threat."

She grinned a little. "Oops?"

 **...**

After looking around and not finding Emma Darcy anywhere, Percy moved to meet her friends at the exit. The daughter of Wisdom had been talking all night to Tyler Lockwood, something that surprised and pleased Percy. Her friend hadn't seem interested in anyone since Luke... And Tyler was handsome. And _human._ Sometimes relationships between demigods failed.

"We're leaving?" Hazel asked when she saw her friend approaching them.

"Yes. Do you need us to drive you somewhere?" When Hazel shook her head, Percy wondered, "Did you arrive here on my dear half-brother Arion?" There was an edge of sarcasm on her voice. Arion was the most proud and sarcastic immortal horse Percy had ever met.

"Not really, I came by shadow-travel," Hazel smiled a little. "Nico's been teaching me how to shadow-travel since August."

They were walking towards where Percy stationed the car, and stopped when they reached it. The three demigoddesses looked at each other for a while, swallowing the uncomfortable lump on their throats.

"It was so good to see you," Annabeth managed to say.

Hazel bit her lower lip and then enveloped both older girls into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you, Queen Haze," Percy chuckled through the pain of the departure. Many people underestimated how much the daughter of Poseidon actually loved the daughter of Pluto. They went through a lot in Camp Jupiter and on their mission with Frank.

"And I you," Hazel sighed against her shoulder.

When they separated, Hazel gave them a watery smile. "But hey, we'll see each other sooner than you think. Jason came to Camp Jupiter with Piper the other day, and he seems quite excited for the idea of having Argo II monthly reunions."

"I can't wait for that. Remember to tell everyone I miss them-"

" _We_ ," Annabeth corrected her friend, as usual. "We miss them all a lot."

"Please, if you see Nico, tell him to Iris-Message me. I fear I might forget to."

Hazel looked back at them. "I will, I promise."

After one last hug and the promise of seeing each other again, Hazel moved towards the nearest shadow and, after looking around to see that no mortals were looking, she melted into the shadows.

The daughter of Athena and the daughter of Poseidon sighed and looked at each other.

Without another word, they entered the car together, closing the door and starting the motor.

Before she could start driving, however, the grey-eyed demigoddess asked the green-eyed one a question that had been eating away at her.

"Is Katherine really gone?"

"She is," Percy sighed, relaxing against the seat. "There's no more imminent danger in town. I can finally relax."

"How are you?"

Percy hesitated a little, but then decided to be sincere. "I thought I'd lose control and never regain it. But I made it, and I feel normal now."

Annabeth observed her for a little, then decided she believed her. "I'm proud of you, Seaweed Brain."

Percy's heart leaped with joy.

"I want to spend some time with you before Asclepius gets home, Wise Girl. It feels like these days that you've been here we haven't actually spent time together."

"We technically haven't. The Mason thing and now the masquerade, but I think we can spend some time together before Asclepius arrives at your place. He didn't say when he would come?"

"Nope. I'm just blindly hoping he does arrives tonight."

They were in silence for most of the ride.

But then the green-eyed demigoddess couldn't help but express her doubt to her best friend.

"Anna? Do you think I'm an idiot for wanting to be friends with a vampire?"

"Not necessarily. I've come to realize that vampires are very alike mortals, just that they drink blood and can kill you in a blink. Other than that, I don't see any danger in you befriending them."

Percy was startled. She had thought he friend would reprimand her for it. She had forgotten how understanding her best friend actually was. God, she was starting to forget how her friend was. How did that happen?

"Really?"

She turned to look at her, to then look back at the road when her friend slapped her arm and yelled at her to look at the road and only the road.

"You can take care of yourself, Seaweed Brain. Better than anyone else I know, for what matters. I'm sure you'd be alright."

"I'm all alone here," Percy tried to explain herself. "I only have one friend and she's mortal, and Damon is-"

"A monster," Her friend cut her off. "But we've grown to realize that some monsters aren't as bad as people make them seem."

Both demigoddesses thought back to Bob and Damasen. It was something they could never forget.

"You're not disappointed?" Percy was nervously awaiting her answer.

Her friend scoffed. "I could never be disappointed in you, Seaweed Brain."

The feeling of warmness and contempt filled Percy from head to toe again, and she found herself smiling.

When they got to the Jackson house, they noticed that Paul and Sally were yet to come back from their date.

"That's unusual," Percy muttered, scowling. "They're supposed to be back by now."

"Maybe they're on their way."

The god of medicine was nowhere to be seen either, for what they thought they could have some alone time for themselves. At the blonde's request, they went to the music room instead of Percy's room.

The daughter of Poseidon started to distractedly press her fingers against the piano keys, trying to remember another song, but the only one she truly knew was too personal for her to share again with her best friend. That one time she had left her vulnerable.

She could feel her friend's eyes on her, but since she wasn't saying anything, Percy refused to speak either, thinking that maybe her friend was collecting her thoughts.

"Can we talk about Apollo?"

Percy's fingers crashed against the piano, making it emit a sound that made them both wince.

"I'm sorry- but _why_?" Percy couldn't fathom why her friend would want to talk about him. Granted, they used to be friend, both of them spending time together since they both loved Percy, but it was strange.

Annabeth shrugged, though couldn't seem to meet her eyes. "I dunno. How are you feeling?"

"About him?" Percy hesitated a little. "You know how I feel. I miss him a lot. It hurts to realize that I don't even have his friendship anymore. And he promised, he promised that even if we ever broke up, we'd still be friends." She took a deep breath, and mentioned what really hurt her more than anything else. "He broke his promise."

Her biggest insecurity were promises. She was the result of a broken oath and she had seen the world crash and burn because of a broken promise. It made her queasy to even think about one.

"Did you ever see a future with him?" Her friend asked suddenly, apparently out of the blue. "I mean, he is a god and you are a mortal. You'll grow old and die. He won't."

"As stupid and naive as it sounds, we talked a lot about the future."

The blonde girl couldn't find that stupid. When someone loved, _truly loved_ , someone, it was to be expected for them to think about their future together.

"It's not stupid. Can I ask you something, though? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"You know can ask me anything." Though it made her anxious as to what could be so delicate that her friend was asking for her permission to ask.

"Apollo told me what Gaea offered you two, back when she wanted you to join her."

Percy tensed, thinking about that again.

"He told you?"

She flushed. "To be fair, you don't have to be embarrassed. She offered me something similar."

Percy looked at her in wonder. "She did?"

Knowing her friend, it would be something like what she saw when they met those sirens. Their family together, Athena and Frederick, and Luke there with them.

Her voice was a soft whisper when she said, "Gaea told me she could bring Luke back for me."

Percy looked down in sympathy. "But no one can raise the death."

Annabeth nodded, looking down.

She took a deep breath and looked at her best friend. "What she offered me was impossible, but I know for sure that what she offered Apollo and you was more than possible, and that it was something you both wanted. At least that's what he told me."

"I wanted that." Percy took a deep breath, fighting against the emptiness on her chest.

"Then why did you deny her offer?"

Percy gave her a startled look, shocked that she would even ask that. If she was honest, sometimes she wondered if she had made the right choice. But of course she had. Gaea was gone before she could actually wake up, and everyone was relatively safe.

"Because that wasn't the right thing to do." She looked down at her hands, which were currently distractedly tracing invisible lines on the piano. "The whole world was at risk, we weren't going to surrender to Gaea so easily."

"Really?"

"We loved each other," Percy looked up to meet her eyes, "But I wasn't willing to give up the whole world just for a future with him. And neither was him."

"What does that mean?"

Percy pursed her lips a little. "It means that while it was something we both wanted, we weren't willing to acquire it over Gaea's conditions. The whole world was more important than what we wanted for ourselves."

"So you were selfless," Annabeth finally got it. "Just like when you turned down immortality, you were being selfless."

"You can't compare being offered immortality to being offered a future with the man I loved."

"Was it not the same thing?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows knowingly.

Percy looked away again.

"Percy..." Annabeth sighed a little, then made up her mind. "Read the letter."

The green-eyed demigoddess had forgotten about that until then. " _Now_ I can read it?" She inquired sarcastically.

" _Yes_ , go."

Nodding her head, she rose from the piano seat and walked towards her room, expecting her friend to follow, but she didn't.

Upon entering her room, she swiftly looked for the letter, and upon finding the envelope, she extracted the parchment out.

Her breath died on her throat when she recognized the writing style, and it was most definitely not Artemis'.

 _Persephone,_  
 _My punishment has started. Father dearest has forbidden me to step outside of Olympus, my sun-chariot is currently being driven by my sister. I think it's not necessary for me to add that as part of this never ending punishment, I have also been forbidden to see and interact with you._  
 _Nothing in the world hurts me as much as knowing that I've broken my promise to you. My sweet Persephone, I want to be there for you, I want to assist to your needs and help you. I am so sorry for being such a disappointment and for breaking my promise to you. I don't seem to do anything right and I am so sorry for hurting you, that's something I never wanted to do._  
 _Please know that I care and listen to you. Your voice is the only thing that keeps me sane in this maddening imprisonment._  
 _I've sent Hermes to check on you a couple of times, but my father has forbidden me to talk to anyone apart from Artemis and Asclepius. When you see my son, ask him about his death and what was done to me by Zeus. You'll understand what my father is planning to do to me._  
 _Once again, I'm sorry, you deserve better than my sorry excuses. I should be a better friend, I_

The words abruptly stopped, as though someone had stopped him from writing more.

"Percy, Asclepius is here."

She looked up.


	12. Chapter 12

_Happy holidays and happy new year! I'm sorry for the delay. (I a_ _lso made a Christmas one-shot that is sort of a prequel to this story. It's very silly, but you guys should read it and let me know what you think. It's called_ _ **A magical Christmas**_ _and it's on my profile.)_

 _ **Disclaimer**_ _: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo don't belong to me. The same goes for The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. _

_English is not my native language so I am very sorry for any mistake I might have._

 ** _..._**

 ** _Chapter 12_**

 ** _..._**

"Asclepius," Percy whispered against the dark. "Asclepius."

The book on her lap was heavy and thick, filled with the regret and horror of a thousand sins and profanities committed by the gods. A mythology book. Percy passed through the names distractedly, glad to have something to do and concentrate on.

Annabeth was by her side, a thick blanket covering her shoulders and head. A pen between her teeth, a cup of coffee close to her legs on the grass.

While Percy was attempting to find a myth long forgotten by humanity, Annabeth was searching for the answer she long desired to know; the truth behind that moonstone curse.

"You know we have to talk about Asclepius sooner than later," Annabeth muttered distractedly. "You know, if he's a bad therapist then you should just stop having sessions with him."

"What's there to talk about? I can't bring myself to talk to him, because all he asks is about the past. And I can't remember the past without feeling an immense amount of guilt and pain eating away at my soul. And eventually, everything gets so mixed together that the only emotion I can feel is anger."

Annabeth stared at her, attentively listening to all she said. "That's when the hallucinations and the flashbacks start?"

The green-eyed girl flinched. "Most of the time, yes. Sometimes they just come without any reason."

There was a long pause after that, though none of the girls wanted to resume reading. They were too deep in thoughts to be able to concentrate enough.

"PTSD is something serious," Annabeth managed to say after a while. Her words were a little hesitant, almost like she didn't want to say them. "Sometimes, there's no going back to who we were before those traumatic moments happened. Maybe this that we feel is something we will have to live with for the rest of our lives."

Percy was so focused on her own pain and suffering that she often forgot that Annabeth had also gone through the same as her, and maybe through worse things. Guilt filled her senses, making her look away.

 _She never wanted Annabeth to suffer_.

"Maybe," Percy replied quietly.

The thought of never getting over it frightened her. _What kind of life would that be?_ _  
_  
She looked down at the book, eyes skipping over the letters without actually processing what it said. _What kind of life was she living now_? Living in a town she hated, surrounded by people she did not care for, alone in the world when not needed.

Mrs. O'Leary was peacefully sleeping close to them, her snores being the only background sound they could have. Around them, a breeze was blowing against the leaves on the trees, rustling them.

After a long pause, Annabeth closed her book and turned to face Percy. There was a look on her eyes, one that Percy knew too well and that always made her feel a spark of adrenaline course through her whole body.

It was the look that meant that she had reached a conclusion, and at first, she feared that it was another conclusion about their post-traumatic stress disorder, but, thankfully, it was not.

"This curse is bullshit," Annabeth declared. "It's fake."

That grabbed Percy's attention. She shifted the book on her lap, and after marking the page she last looked at, she faced the blonde demigoddess.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no record of a curse that can make all vampires or all werewolves resistant to their weaknesses." They shared a long look, both deep in thoughts. "Do you understand what it means, Percy? Alaric was wrong when he told us about the curse, the book where he found it was wrong, _everyone_ was wrong about this curse."

"Someone lied about the curse so others would try to break it. Which means that the real curse is one much darker, more dangerous-"

"And it's coming right for us." Annabeth shook her head. "For _you_ \- Percy you have to secure that moonstone. It cannot fall into another's hands. Not until we discover what the real curse will do once broken."

Percy bit her lower lip. "Alright. But I'm not quite sure I'd be the most qualified person to hold into that moonstone. I can't control my actions, you saw what happened with Mason."

"You're worried about the effect it can have on you?"

"Not really. I'm more worried about the fact that I do things that I cannot recall doing, and I don't want to wake up one day to find that the world is at risk because I did something with that curse without knowing it-"

The blonde girl stared at her, thinking hard. "It happens a lot? Those blackouts?"

A dreading sensation took hold of Percy's body. There was something about that question that made her suffocate; that made her swallow uncomfortably. Flashes of frightened faces went through her mind, followed by the tickling sensation of triumph swimming on her stomach.

"No." It was a lie, one that made her feel like the most wretched person in the world. For one frightful moment, she feared her friend would know her enough to know she was deceiving her. "It barely happens at all."

It had happened twice. One in Camp Half-Blood with a camper from Cabin 5, a girl called Victoria. The second time there in Mystic Falls, with Mason Lockwood.

She swallowed again- at least Victoria was still alive, Mason was dead.

The reminder of what she'd done only seemed to add more fuel to the bonfire that was her consciousness. She had liked it, she had rejoiced in using her powers like that. She had wanted to do it again, to lose control like that and just wreak havoc.

Anything to make her feel real- because all she felt was pain, and she wanted to feel something else; _anything_ else- to make her feel alive.

What kind of person did that? Percy felt sick to her stomach. How had she changed so much?

"What does Asclepius say about it?" There was a knowing gleam on Annabeth's eyes, which made the raven-haired demigoddess feel even more disgusting.

Percy's silence was enough answer to the daughter of Athena.

"Percy-" But whatever she was going to say, she didn't.

"I just can't talk about it to anyone."

"You're talking to me about it."

"You're different," Percy said quietly. "You're my friend."

Asclepius was kind and gentle and welcoming- everything a normal god was not- but talking with him felt like emptying what was left of her soul into a _void_. He listened only with the desire to heal, not with any intention of understanding and reassuring; he was all business.

It was hard to talk with someone like that.

"I did get to talk to Asclepius about something, though," Percy cleared her throat, trying to ignore the nagging sensation on her chest. Had she disappointed Annabeth? She couldn't help but feel as though she had. "My mood-swings."

" _Those aren't mood-changes. That's something you're doing to yourself._ " Asclepius had told her, " _You try to hide and push back everything that hurts, but that only makes all your emotions collide, which results in only one blinding emotion: rage."_ _  
_  
What the god couldn't understand was the following: rage was easier to manage than pain.

She could control her rage and her urges, but she could never control the waves of pain that crashed against her at all times. Like actual waves crashing against the shore, it was unstoppable.

Percy learnt that the hard way. Perhaps, Luke knew that too when he decided to follow his rage instead of his morals.

It was painfully ironical that now that she was almost the same age Luke had been when he first betrayed them, she was finally starting to understand how deep his anger had been, how much pain he had felt to turn against his own blood.

She could not blame him.

"And what did he say?" Annabeth inquired, snapping Percy out of her thoughts. "About your mood swings, I mean."

Percy hesitated a little. His familiar blue eyes had been filled with such a large amount of sympathy that the young demigoddess had been forced to drown his voice out, not standing how his words were laced with pity.

"What's there to say? I'm a teenager with ADHD, dyslexia and PTSD. The three of them have mood-changes as their symptoms."

"Right." Annabeth looked away, knowing that her friend was done talking about it. After a little, she moved so she was laying down on the grass, and looked up at the sky.

Percy started to watch her, but as seconds went by, her mind took another turn. She thought of a similar scenario, one that started with both of them stargazing, as they were now, but that ended a little different. _Tell the suns and the stars hello for me._

"Did Asclepius mention Apollo at all?" Annabeth inquired after a while. "Or did he just act as though he never gave you that letter?"

"He didn't mention him. Do you think I should've mentioned him?"

She shook her head no, and sighed a little. "Does it make you uncomfortable? That your therapist is the son of your ex-boyfriend?"

That _had_ to be the reason why Percy didn't ask Asclepius what Apollo told her to ask him, that had to be the reason as to why they were now forced to search multiple books to get an answer.

"The thought of Zeus forbidding Apollo to interfere with me makes me more uncomfortable than that, to be honest."

"Gods cannot interfere with the affairs of other gods, not directly," Annabeth pointed out. "Though since you two are not together-"

Percy interrupted her. "He's punishing Apollo. Not only for hiding when he should've fought and for aiding Octavian. Zeus is punishing because of me."

"But that is-" Percy could almost see the wheels turning in Annabeth's head. After a moment, the daughter of Athena reached a conclusion, and gasped. "Oh."

Percy couldn't help the smile that cornered her lips, nor the distant flutter that appeared on her stomach. "Gods are limited to how much they can interfere in mortal affairs. That's one of the ancient laws Zeus created-"

"Apollo traveled to New Rome with us demigods," Annabeth started to smile. "He aided you when Artemis and I were kidnapped-"

 _He ravished me on his sun-chariot multiple times, thus putting the whole world at risk of being incinerated._ Percy smiled to herself _. Thank the gods for autopilot, though._ _  
_  
"People call me a troublemaker for breaking rules, but they fail to realize that even gods break them."

"I can see why you're so in love with him," Annabeth impulsively said. "If someone broke an ancient law for me, I'd be head over heels for them."

A warm feeling covered Percy's body. "It's more than that, you know? This-" She gestured to the mythology book. "Is something I have to do. I need to know what will happen to him."

"Because you feel guilty or because you care about him?"

"I don't think I'll ever stop caring about him." Sometimes wondered if she missed being his friend more than she missed being his girlfriend. She always knew their relationship would come to an end, but she never expected their friendship to die like that. And to some extent, that hurt more. "Just like I will always, _always_ feel guilty."

Annabeth sighed exasperatedly. "You don't have to feel guilty about Apollo. You never forced him to do anything he didn't want to do. He made his own decisions and now he's paying for them. He chose to love you, he chose to be with you, he chose to break the relationship up. You did nothing wrong."

"You don't understand." Percy pursed her lips.

 _Apollo was as tall and muscular and bronze as a Baywatch lifeguard. He let his blond hair long, but tied it back in a man-bun so it didn't interfere with his archery. He sauntered around Olympus in his gleaming robes with his bow and arrow, winking at the ladies and high-fiving the dudes, or sometimes winking at the dudes and high-fiving the ladies.  
_  
He could have anyone he wanted; male, female or non-binary. And for some strange reason he had wanted her; he had loved her- perhaps too much- and now for his actions he was being punished.

Percy felt as though it was her fault for loving him back.

It was stupid and it made no sense, but nothing really made sense for the green-eyed demigoddess lately, so somehow, her mind got attached to that thought.

"Don't be stupid," Annabeth sighed again, knowing what she was thinking. "Love is not a feeling. Love is a choice. And he chose you. Don't blame yourself for the things you have no control over."

Percy wasn't so sure about love being a choice and not a feeling, though some part of her told her that her friend was right. She was still too young to understand those words and what they meant, but she decided to try and think about it some other time, about love and what it really was, once her mind was sane enough to properly think of something that was not painful.

When she caught a glimpse of the night sky, her breath got lost on her throat. It was a sight Bob would've loved, _had he not sacrificed himself for them._

One second, she had been thinking about love, and the next? It was about Bob and Tartarus. That's how her mind worked; one second something and the other it was Tartarus again.

Annabeth noticed.

"Do you think it has to do with our ADHD?"

Percy looked at her, tilting her head to the side and asking with her eyes for context.

"I mean, it makes us unable to stay still for too long. Do you think that it's the same with our brains? That we overthink because we literally cannot be long without doing something, without moving, without thinking."

Percy watched her friend for a long time, observing her and how she seemed pleased with having thought about that, but also curious as if she was right in her assumptions. A slow smile cornered Percy's lips, the first real smile she had since her first therapy session with Asclepius earlier that night.

"You're most definitely Athena's daughter, Wise Girl."

Said girl flushed with pride.

"Really, though," Percy continued, nodding a little. "Your theory is kind of reasonable."

 _Maybe_.

Maybe Percy couldn't stop thinking about the war and about her past because her mind had to be in constant movement.

That didn't explain though, why out of all she could think about, she always ended thinking about painful things.

"Sometimes I wish my mind could stop thinking so much about Tartarus," Annabeth whispered, almost hesitantly.

It was the first time she dared to say something like that to Percy, and the green-eyed demigoddess didn't know what to do. So she said the first thing that came to her mind, "I understand you," which seemed to be just what her friend needed to hear.

Annabeth closed her eyes.

Percy watched her for a little, then looked up at the sky again.

She tried to be positive and think that everything was going to be alright, but she was pessimist by default. She knew there would be good days and bad days, she had been told multiple times by everyone (including Asclepius himself) that the possibility of her being haunted by the war for the rest of her life was extremely high.

The anger she could live with, but the guilt and the pain and those damned hallucinations and blackouts- she'd rather die than go through that for the rest of her life.

Her eyes focused on the constellations, blinking back to reality when her friend intertwined their fingers together. In that moment, Percy felt as if there was a gigantic bridge between them, one that had started to form when Hera separated them, and that now was unbreakable.

Her sea-green eyes filled with tears at the thought of slowly losing her best friend.

Deep down, Percy knew that would never happen, there was no way that after everything they went through they'd ever drift too far apart from each other. But some stupid part of her brain was insisting on that, insisting that there was something between them now, that they would never be close again, that- somehow- it was all her fault.

From the very beginning of her demigod life, she had been wrongly blamed. She was so used to being blamed over stuff that now she blamed herself for everything, even for the things she had no control over.

In that moment, she was as conscious as she could ever be. And yet, Gaea's voice echoed in her mind. _**First that satyr, then the sun god, now the spawn of Athena. It appears you destroy everyone you love.**_

 **This is our revenge,** Kronos' own voice joined the fun. _**You damage everyone you love, and so they leave you. You will have to live with this knowledge for the rest of your life.**_

The daughter of Athena saw the state her friend was currently in, and gently started to trace patterns on her hand with her thumb, startled at how cold her friend's skin was. "Hey," She breathed, gently. "What's wrong?"

"I am trying," Her hand was warm and her intentions were good, but even that small contact felt foreign to Percy. "I'm trying my hardest and it's still not enough." She looked like a broken girl, crying out for any deity to hear her and pity her. But she wanted no pity, and no deity was going to save her. She was her own hero, she had always been. She had to save herself, bit by bit, but all by herself.

That _had_ to be enough.

* * *

 **...**

 **The monsters were never under my bed.**

 **Because the monsters were inside my head.**

 **—Nikita Gill  
**

 **...**

"You're such a dork," Emma Darcy laughed, her pretty face flushed with delight. "I can't believe you actually said that."

They were in the attic on Percy's house. Previous to that day, the young demigoddess had never been there, but after entering for the first time, she found that she actually liked it. It was a wooden, empty space of about fifteen feet, and at the left side there was a small window above a small, dusty desk with old papers and spider-webs all around. At the right side, there was a big window where one could sit at and stare outside. If she looked up- and she did- Percy could see where the roof met, since the wood beams were out. In the air was a smell that was both familiar and foreign, but she couldn't name what it was.

It made her think of Camp Half-Blood's attic in the Big House, but without all the souvenirs from previous missions and all those reminders of previous campers and their heroic actions.

"What else could I have said?" Percy's tone was laced with innocence, though nothing about her was innocent.

"Maybe something more respectful," Emma grinned at her. "One of this days you're going to find someone that won't put up with your shit."

"That someone wouldn't be you, would it?"

Emma simply gave her a look that was meant to be mysterious, though it was hard to look that way when she was wearing a white sweater adorned with yellow smiley faces, and rainbow-colored eyeshadow.

The reason for them to be together in the attic was simple; Sally received some boxes from their old apartment in Manhattan- their arrival had been delayed for almost two months- and needed help storing them away. They ended up staying there, talking and opening some boxes to see what was inside of them.

It had been a month since Annabeth left Mystic Falls.

The blonde demigoddess had been reluctant to leave, specially since both could feel that more dangers were approaching town, but in the end they had to part ways.

While Annabeth was occupied searching for her cousin in Boston, Percy's life was actually monotone there in Virginia: She went to school, studied for her upcoming SAT's, had therapy sessions with Asclepius at nights, and occasionally- if she had the time- she hung out with friends.

Just like she had predicted, there were bad days and good days.

One of those good days was when she found out her mother was pregnant- she was going to have a little sister or brother!- when she felt so happy that she thought she'd never feel sad again. The next day, she had woken up with nightmares of the past and the face of Kronos staring at her; that's what no one ever said, that pain was something that came and went very easily and unexpectedly, like a summer breeze blowing through a dirty sidewalk.

In any case, Percy was the dirty sidewalk. The summer breeze was her PTSD.

When she had company, it was easier to slip into more comfortable thoughts. When surrounded by people she trusted or that distracted her, her mind had very little time to make her suffer. So most of her afternoons, she talked with Damon Salvatore or, those times where he was busy wreaking havoc, with Emma Darcy.

That day was one of those days where Damon was probably wrecking havoc somewhere, because she had gone to look for him at the Boarding House, only to find that the house was empty.

"Can I open this box and see what's inside?" Emma snapped Percy out of her thoughts. "It has your name on it."

"That's alright, you can still open it. I'm sure there's nothing strictly embarrassing there."

"Alright, but if there's something embarrassing there, you should know that I will never let you see the end of it."

"You wouldn't be you if you did, freckles."

"I swear to God you have something against my freckles," Emma mumbled, a scowl appearing on her face.

The green-eyed demigoddess allowed herself a small smile before opening another box. She had purposely forgotten to tell her mother that she was looking for a book- had she told Sally what kind of book it was, her mother would've suspected something-, and now she was regretting it.

She didn't find what she was looking for the previous month, for which she decided to search in another mythology book. The only slight problem to her brilliant plan was that she could not find another book about said topic anywhere.

"Do you often kiss gods?"

Percy's whole body tensed, a spark of adrenaline cursing though her whole body. When she turned, expecting the mortal girl to have transformed into a monster, her heartbeat was beating faster than ever against her chest. One of her hands felt for Riptide on her pockets.

Emma tilted her head to be able to look at her. She looked as normal and innocent as always, with that never-ending smile on her face and her flushed cheeks contrasting against the million freckles she had scattered all around her cheeks and nose.

There was a Polaroid picture between her fingers, which made Percy's heart skip a beat because _now_ she knew what was inside that box Emma found.

There were about thirty-forty Polaroid photographs scattered all around, each and every one of them containing a scene that made her feel both warm and heartbroken.

In that moment, Percy thought she would've preferred to have her only mortal friend in Mystic Falls be a monster in disguise than to face those memories.

Instead of running away as she wanted to, she started to walk forwards, as if drawn to those photos and all they contained and meant.

The one Emma had seen first was one of Percy's favorite from _before_ \- (before the war, before the pain, before everything went to hell) It was a close-up shot of fifteen years old Percy, who was in what seemed to be a museum of some sort, her sea-green eyes closed as she faintly pressed her lips against the perfectly carved lips of a bust sculpture.

It looked very professional, though it had been taken with a simple Polaroid camera and nothing else. Though the mortal girl suspected that the reason for it to look so good was the green-eyed girl. She was a gorgeous sight to behold, more so when she was kissing art. Her lips seemed to fit so well into those stone carved ones. Her smile was so pure, so happy and mischievous, her skin so flawless.

It was a Percy unlike the one Emma knew.

She read the description on the small white part of the Polaroid, though it was written in another language and she couldn't understand it, she did get to see the date it was taken. Two, almost three years before.

"Is there a story behind this picture?" Emma asked shyly. "Or you just saw it and decided you had to kiss it?"

It seemed like a thing Persephone Jackson would do. She was impulsive and reckless, it was something that everyone could notice right after meeting her.

But gods were petty beings and a simple joke like that could set them off.

"A friend of mine told me once that there was nothing as addicting as good as kissing art. And Apollo was quite the addicting masterpiece, if I dare to say so."

As was to be expected, Emma didn't get the private joke. "That was the statue's? Apollo's?"

Percy nodded in answer.

The real story behind that kiss was too personal to divulge to someone she only knew for a couple of months. Not to mention that she could never begin to explain anything of her world to her. A demigoddess could never truly be completely honest to a mortal; there were too many things to hide, too many stories to modify; too many secrets.

The thought of having a friendship like that, one that was based on lies, made her feel unworthy of having Emma on her life, unworthy of having a friend.

"Who are these people?"

When Percy focused on her friend again, -when did she even stop listening to her in the first place?- she found that the brunette was now staring hard at a different photograph, one in which Percy saw herself- her younger self, she was probably thirteen or fourteen in that picture- hugging Grover's left side while Annabeth hugged his right side.

Her heart thumped louder. "Those are my best friends."

Emma stopped and stared at them better, a slow smile cornering her lips.

Percy was full of adrenaline, though this time it had nothing to do with fear. Looking at those pictures hurt- they showed a part of her that was dead and gone- but they also portrayed only the happiness. Those were proof that there had been happiness on her life, that she had been safe and happy once. Those had been good moments, if all simple and casual, which was what Percy loved the most; _the little things in life._ _  
_  
Her heart broke all over again, but it was a different kind of pain. Percy kept all the bad moments inside of her at all times, it was a refreshing thing to be reminded of the good ones too.

"She's gorgeous." Emma's warm black eyes were focused on the blonde demigoddess, though occasionally, she fixed her eyes on her green-eyed friend.

There was something on her voice that made Percy believe that she didn't intend for her to hear that comment, for which Percy remained as if she had not heard that.

The next photograph was one of Sally and Paul's wedding.

They were staring at each other, adoration written on their faces. Behind them, they could see the wedding cake, and right at their left side, Percy was standing alongside a blond boy. At the other side, the same blonde girl from before was standing side by side with a brown-haired boy.

"Your scars-" Emma stopped herself, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry."

Percy was a little shaken, never expecting her shy friend to mention that little detail about her.

The first war had not even fully started when they took that picture, of course her skin was free of any flaw. Two wars later and now she looked like a walking scar with green eyes and dark hair.

Feeling uncomfortable for the first time that day, the green-eyed demigoddess simply looked away from her, embarrassed and self-conscious

The next photograph had the blond boy from the wedding, though this time there was a different light to him. He looked older, almost like a grown up man. He was behind the wheel on the driver's seat, a smile on his lips that mean that he _knew_ someone was taking his picture, though his eyes remained on the road ahead of him; he seemed to irradiate light and warmness, even when it was a picture, Emma could almost feel it.

"Who is that?" Emma found herself asking. She saw the inscription and knew, not for what it said, because she couldn't read that language, but because there were small hearts drawn there. "He's in a lot of photographs."

"Fred," Percy smiled at the private joke. "The camera was his, so he's in a lot of photographs."

Apollo acquired it to document the most important pieces of art in the world, along with the most beautiful sights; everything he loved and liked, with the intention of remembering in the darkest days that there were good things in life.

 _But I'm in all your pictures_ , Percy had pointed out, raising her eyebrows, amusement on her voice. _That's kind of cheating on this little project of yours._ _  
_  
He had only smiled.

Something seemed to snap in Percy, making her stand up from the floor and walk away. Emma watched over her, confused at her sudden mood-change.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked shyly. "Did I do something to upset you?"

Percy shook her head, though no words left her mouth. She moved as though she were about to crouch down and open another box, but the only thing she wanted was to be out of her friend's view.

"You could never make me upset."

And that was another one of the lies their friendship was based on.

Emma had made her upset, she had made her feel self-conscious over her scars, over how much everything had changed; she had unknowingly forced her to look at those pictures, to acknowledge that she had changed and that she was drifting apart from all she used to be.

She hadn't seen Grover in months- a year in December.

She wasn't with Apollo anymore.

She wasn't in Camp Half-Blood, she wasn't in New York anymore.

The friends she had in Mystic Falls were something out of mutual-benefit. Just people she hung out with, not wanting to be alone.

The harsh reality was that she was all alone. _**This is our revenge. This is our revenge. This is our revenge.**_ _ **  
**_

 _ **...**_

Emma went home when her brother called her to tell her he wanted to eat. "He's an idiot," she explained to Percy. "He doesn't know how to cook nor does he have money. So it is up to _me_ to make him food since our parents are out of town for the week. And I don't even cook very well."

"Men must hate you," Percy gave her an amused smirk.

It was a joke, the raven-haired girl knew her mortal friend was not impressed by the way the male gender thought. In fact, she did everything possible to disappoint every man she met.

It was rather easy, actually, to offend a man. Just with her clothing style (Percy particularly loved when Emma wore sweaters that bore the captions: _girls like girls, gals before pals, girls just wanna have fun-damental human rights)_ and her attitude (she was loud and demanding when around misogynist men) she managed to do so everyday.

"I'm a female, non-white person that doesn't know how to cook-" Emma started to smile. "They _despise_ me."

After walking her to her car, and then waving goodbye, Percy wet back inside. She headed towards the attic, intending to close the door to it, when a thought came to her mind.

The medicine god told her she had to deal with her pain, that she had to learn to remember her past without hurting too much and without getting consumed with unpleasant thoughts.

So she thought that _maybe_ she could start using the photographs she found. Her main idea was to stick them to the wall, or at least to keep them somewhere she would see them everyday. It was something small and silly, but it could work as a beginning.

So after carefully securing the attic's old door, she went downstairs towards her room, the box with photographs on her hands.

Sally was at Percy's door when she approached her room. "There you are."

"Hi, mom."

"Do you remember the man that was looking for you a while ago?"

Unconsciously, she looked back towards her drawers, where she hid Apollo's letter. Now that she knew that he was imprisoned in Olympus, it was safe to say that the man looking for her was not him. Though she remembered her mother describing him as elegant and handsome.

Probably another god.

The thought made her cringe.

"He came back?"

"This morning," Sally nodded. "When you were at school. I told him to come by later, and he agreed."

Mother and daughter shared a look. The brunette woman looked a little concerned, though the man she had met twice behaved like a gentleman and had been nothing but polite and agreeable. With her daughters luck, it could be someone dangerous.

"It's not a monster," She lowered her voice, not intending her husband to listen since he was close by in the hallways. "I would've seen the Mist around him if he was."

But what Percy had noticed that Sally didn't know, was that when it came to mortal monsters, there was no Mist surrounding them.

They were a completely different kind of monster, one that the mortal woman had no way of recognizing.

"It must be a god," Percy groaned. "It _has_ to be one."

The other option was still the mortal-monster one, though she couldn't even imagine why a mortal monster would be seeking her out like that. Unless it was like Katherine and the Salvatore brothers, who had selfish reasons to want her around.

But if that was the case, there was another thing to consider: how had the mortal-monster found her? No one in town knew what she was- though sometimes she thought that Alaric was extremely close to discovering it- and she intended to keep it that way.

"His name is Elijah," Sally remembered, "Elijah Smith, which, if I dare to say it, sounds like a fake name." As an author- or an aspiring one- she knew a lot about names.

Percy pursed her lips. "Did he say when he was coming back?"

Sally shook her head.

"Promise me something, mom," Percy looked serious, which surprised her mother. "If he comes by, you won't invite him inside. And if he starts to threaten you-"

"I run and leave everything to you," Sally finished for her, scowling in disapproval. "I can handle myself, sweetheart."

"You're pregnant," Percy blurted out, "I don't want any of you getting hurt because of me. So please, do as I say."

Sally looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn't.

As they parted ways, the older woman heading towards her study and the young demigoddess back into her room, she couldn't help but think as though she had read the name _Elijah_ somewhere. The only problem was that she had read so much that past month that she could never know for sure where she read it from.

The matter was quickly forgotten when Paul appeared at her doorway, asking her if she wanted to play baseball with him. His grin was so contagious and his energy so refreshing that Percy could only accept.

They went outside to play while Sally watched them with a smile on her face, the old typewriter she used to write her book firmly settled on her lap. For moments, she watched them with a fond look on her eyes, almost as of watching them made her immensely happy, and at other moments, her concentration was completely set on the machine on her lap.

Moments like that made Percy feel whole. She thought about her family, of how easy it was to make her parents happy- all she had to do is act as though she was alright- and about how much everything was going to change when her little sister or brother would be born.

The whole notice of Sally's pregnancy had caught her by surprise, not because they were old- because they were still on their late thirties- but because every time she thought of being a big sister, she had imagined it would've been by Poseidon's side.

Had it been on Poseidon's side, Percy would've not been able to spend much time with the baby.

The thought of watching the baby grow made her grin widely.

"Have you thought about names?" Paul yelled at her as he threw the ball.

"Names?" She hit the ball with her bat, sending it flying towards the older man. Paul moved in sync with it, and managed to catch it. "Nice!"

He grinned. "Thanks. For the baby," He threw the ball up and down in the air a few times before aiming it at the demigoddess, who missed. As she moved to collect it and throw it back at him, he turned back to look at Sally, who was too far away to listen to their conversation.

"Names for my little sister or brother?" Percy was surprised. "You trust me to come up with good names?"

"Of course. It's _our_ family, sweetheart," Paul smiled at her in a way that made her miss her own father. Poseidon had never looked at her like that, not with such an enormous amount of unconditional love. "We still have seven months, you don't have to think of names right now."

Percy nodded a little, tilting her head to the side. "Which names have mom and you thought of so far?"

It was too early to know the sex of the baby, since Sally was only two months into the pregnancy, which meant they didn't know what to expect. Sally claimed she held no preference towards either gender, though she would like to have a son. Paul liked the idea of having a daughter, though he already considered Persephone to be his.

Meanwhile, Percy liked the idea of having a sister. She already had two brothers, Tyson and Triton, so the thought of having a sister for a chance sounded exciting.

"I have only one request," Percy called loudly. When Paul looked at her, she grinned apologetically. "Please don't give my sibling a Greek name."

He laughed.

 **...**

One look at her, and Asclepius knew she was going through something.

Their meetings were at night, when everyone was asleep, and usually they were in the forest, though that night they were in the garden, close to the porch. The bad thing about it being so late was that at night, when everything was dark and quiet, it was very easy to let the mind wander.

And Percy's mind had to _stop_ wandering around.

"What is haunting you today?"

"I was thinking that it's so ironic that I can literally forget my mother's name and forget to eat for two days straight," Percy started, stressed. "But I can't forget about Tartarus, not even for a second."

"You need to take care of yourself, Percy," His voice was warm and comforting. It eased her nerves. Percy had the sudden urge to snuggle against him and to hear him tell her that everything was going to be alright. "Did you eat today? You have to drink water, too, to remain hydrated and healthy."

"I already ate, don't worry," Percy muttered, brushing it aside. "Paul reminded me to."

Asclepius nodded and waited for a moment, expecting her to say something else. When she didn't, it was he who continued. "What about Tartarus is in your mind today?" He asked.

Percy hesitated a little. Talking to him wasn't as hard as it used to be, though she still found it difficult at times. What motivated her the most was the thought of taking it off her system, the thought of being rid- if only for a small moment- about all that was destroying her.

"Everything," She said. "I was thinking earlier about Tartarus and about literally everything. And I just- I remembered something," Her voice was steady, though her hands started to tremble and her breathing got a little unsteady.

" _Breathe_ ," Asclepius reminded her. "That pressure you feel in your throat is not real, you can breathe."

She breathed, the thing choking her disappearing as she inhaled and exhaled, the breathing exercises he had taught her.

"Better?" Asclepius gave her a kind look. "Continue."

"Empathy links," Percy managed to say. "If I die, the other person linked to me will most likely die too, or enter a vegetative state for the rest of their lives."

"That's correct, though empathy links can only be used between a satyr or faun and another person. So whatever you're thinking of doing, I advice you-"

"I'm already linked to someone," Percy interrupted him, then apologized for it. She wasn't one to usually apologize, much less to gods, but she really wanted to respect Asclepius. He was helping her, he was trying, he was kind. She had to show him some respect and gratitude.

Asclepius understood strikingly fast. "I see. And Tartarus. You fell to Tartarus and faced horrible dangers there-"

"Tartarus is the most horrible place I have ever been at and I just can't stop thinking that Grover went through all I went through and that- oh gods- he is feeling what I'm feeling right now and that he knows how I feel because I made him go through the same and I just-"

"Percy, breathe."

"I'm hurting Grover. I'm hurting him and I just can't forgive myself for putting him at risk-"

"You had no choice," Asclepius shook his head. "You didn't choose to fall into Tartarus, you didn't choose to hurt him."

That was her fatal flaw. She had fallen into Tartarus for one of her friends, and now she was having a breakdown at the thought of having hurt the other friend while down there. She wasn't thinking about herself back there and neither was she now, it was all about her loved ones.

"But I told him to keep the empathy link on!" Percy couldn't breathe properly. "I told him to leave it on so that I could always know if he was in danger! I wanted to protect him! And look what happened! All that time that I was lost, he was lost too, all that time I nearly died, he nearly died too-"

"But you're alive," Asclepius put a comforting hand over her own trembling one. He used his powers to help her calm down and breathe properly. "Your friend is alive, Percy."

"I'm haunted by the word _almost_ ," Percy was openly crying now, though she seemed not to notice. She trembled no more; the pain was still there, but more controlled. "I almost died. I almost made the first best friend I've ever had die."

"Remove the empathy link," Asclepius told her. As if she had not thought about it already.

But truth was, the damage was already done. Grover was suffering because of her, he knew how she felt, what she thought, what her nightmares were about. He was being haunted by the war too, only that it was all because of _her_.

"It has to be done face to face," Percy said, though she didn't want the empathy link removed for the same reason she hadn't wanted it all those years ago. She wanted to be able to know when Grover was in trouble, to help him.

"And?" Asclepius raised his eyebrows. "What's the matter with that?"

Percy didn't answer, too shameful.

The god of medicine understood after a while the reason for her silence. While she was sure she was never getting into another life-threatening mission that could hurt both of them, the thought of seeing him after all that happened scared her.

"How am I supposed to see him after hurting him so much?" Percy breathed out. "I haven't seen him nearly a year. And it's because I'm too scared to face him."

"What are you scared of?"

Percy swallowed hard. She hated it when Asclepius started asking questions that made her open up. It was easier when he just nodded and smiled and said pointless words of reassurance.

"Do you think he's angry at you?" Asclepius asked again.

Percy shook her head. Words were extremely hard for her in that moment, though the god in the room was actually quite patient and waited without any annoyance until she could collect her thoughts and her emotions.

"I _know_ he's not angry at me."

And that was exactly the problem. Grover was supposed to be angry at her; he should hate her, he should want her gone from his life!

But he did not. He still saw her as his best friend, he still loved her.

Asclepius gave her the now-familiar look of sympathy that she despised with her whole life. More so when she knew that he had read her mind- invaded her very personal thoughts- just to know what was wrong.

It made her slightly angry.

"My dear child-"

The green-eyed demigoddess flinched. Most gods used that endearment to talk with demigods, though she could only think of her own father, who had been way too absent from her life for a long time. When _he_ needed her the most, she had been there for him, fighting his battles. When _she_ needed him the most, he wasn't there.

"Sweet girl," Asclepius corrected himself. "Don't drown yourself in guilt when no one is blaming you for anything. You are not to blame for anything-"

She drowned his voice out.

How could anyone not blame her?

She had hurt everyone, from the very beginning of her demigod life.

Her mother, her step-father, her boyfriend, her best friends: Grover and Annabeth, her fellow campers from Camp Half-Blood: Clarisse, Travis, Connor, Pollux, not to mention those she couldn't save: Bianca, Zoë, Castor, Beckendorf, Michael, Silena, Ethan.

All those nameless demigods from both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter that participated in both wars and died, all those nameless demigods that joined the wrong forces and ended up being punished, the reason for their betrayal being their pain at being abandoned by their godly parents. A pain she know knew.

All of them so young, with a future ahead of them.

And it was all her fault.

Asclepius often said she had no reason to feel guilty, that she had done the best she could during those awful times...

It was never enough; nothing could ever appease the hollow feeling of letting your friends down, of hurting them, or watching them die.

Percy was full of guilt, and nothing could make her feel better.

She wasn't focused for the rest of their session, so when it ended and he moved forwards to hug her, she was surprised, instantly focusing on her surroundings and on him. She wondered what made him hug her, but couldn't complain- his body was warm and comforting, and in some twisted way, it made her think of Apollo's own hugs.

His strong arms made her feel safe and secure even on the darkest of times.

"Thank you," Percy whispered a little. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

When she looked into Asclepius eyes, the same feeling of emptiness settled at her chest, followed by the never-ending guilt eating away at her stomach. He looked a lot like his father, though while Apollo chose to look like a young man, Asclepius looked like an old man.

He shook his head. "There's important business I have to attend in Olympus tomorrow. I can schedule our nest session for next week, is that alright for you?"

Gods business never lasted so long, not a whole week. It made the raven-haired demigoddess worry, though she had convinced herself that she was never, _ever_ getting into another one of those godly problems. Part of her wondered if it had to do with the sun god.

"That's okay," Her voice was quiet, it must've made Asclepius notice her worry, because next thing she knew, he was looking at her in wonder.

The medicine god hesitated for a moment, knowing that he wasn't allowed to divulge personal information about his father to anyone, much less to that specific demigoddess. At the end, he decided to take the risk, knowing that his father would appreciate him for doing so.

"It's starting," Asclepius said.

"When?" Percy didn't need to ask what he was talking about, some part of her already knew.

"I'm not supposed to tell you anything-"

Percy grabbed his elbow, stopping him from leaving. If he attempted to disappear now, he would end up vaporizing her.

Percy's eyes were wide and pleading, he could almost see the sea on them. The same way he could always see the sea in Poseidon's eyes.

Asclepius looked away from those sea-green eyes, deciding to concentrate on the wall and not on the way he could almost feel Zeus' lightning bolts coming down at him for what he was doing.

"I'm not asking much of you, Lord Asclepius" Percy's voice was soft and quiet, as if telling a secret to each other. "I trust you realize how important this is to me."

That's when he knew she would _never_ give up until he answered her. She was being respectful, she was smart enough to know she had to show him some respect, but there was _something_ else hidden on her voice.

Though he would never admit it, on that moment, he was a little hesitant to come near her again, for he was a little frightened. He wasn't sure she knew what she was doing, but her eyes were glaring at him in such a way that his lungs failed to work for a second, her own eyes darkening a little.

It was then when he could literally see the sea on her; restless and wild, untamed and dangerous.

Asclepius could then see why his father- he who with a single arrow could wipe out entire civilizations, who was the bringer of the plague, who had been restlessly feared by the ancient Greeks during the Trojan war, who had murdered mortals who offended him without any hesitation or remorse- could fall in love with a simple semi-mortal girl.

The darkness that they harbored inside of them was _very_ similar.

"Apollo's punishment is one that has been inflicted on him before," Asclepius pried her hands off his elbow. "And that's all I can afford to say."

Percy scowled.

That much, she already knew. What she could not find anywhere was what the punishment itself consisted of.

"Tell me how you died," She decided to stop beating around the bush, tired of being respectful and shy with him. "You know I read the letter. We both know it was not from Artemis."

He refused to answer, because 1) It was a very personal question, 2) Percy would understand immediately what was going to happen to Apollo, which 3) would make Zeus punish him for divulging that information.

She insisted, her scowl deepening. In that moment, she was the most selfish demigoddess he had ever seen, because not even when he told her Zeus had prohibited him for saying much to her, she kept insisting that she _had_ to know.

That was her fatal flaw. Loyal to those she loved even when she was not supposed to.

"It's all I ask from you, Lord Asclepius." Annoyance crossed her eyes, her very limited patience wearing short. "It's better if you just answer already."

She was more angry at Zeus for forbidding her something than at him for denying her wishes.

It was then that Asclepius could definitely see them together. The sun that was too bright, too hot- the sun that caused cities to fall dehydrated, the sun that burned the skin off some people and set stuff on fire. And she, the ocean that started off as playful and teasing, but that ended drowning everything on its path, the ocean that castes its waves to crash against the shore, against boats, against everything. The sun and the ocean that were too selfish, too self-centered.

Percy retreated a little, sighing in defeat. It was late and she was too tired to keep insisting. The next day was a school day, so she needed to rest.

"At least tell me that Apollo is going to be okay-"

She forgot that names had power, and the easiest way to make a god notice you was to mention their name. Only that it was the wrong god that heard her question.

Lightning fell on the bunk of a tree close to them, making the young demigoddess' heart jump.

Asclepius glanced at the sky, then down at her with flaring eyes. "Do you really care enough about him to be asking that?" The question was cold, a hint of anger on his voice.

Percy took another step back, never expecting the kind god to look at her in that way. She blinked, a familiar feeling burning at her stomach and making her feel as though she had swallowed acid. Then she was right in front of the god, her rage making her seem taller than she was.

"What do you even know about us?" Percy glared at him. _How could he be like that? How could he be angry at her for wanting to know about Apollo? How could he be so selfish? How could Zeus be so stupid?_ "What do you even know about my feelings?"

Asclepius looked as though he was ready to murder here with his bare hands, though before he could even move, another thunder shook the earth, this time closer to them. A warning for both of them: _**enough**_.

"You're lucky everyone knows you as the Heroine of Olympus," There was nothing kind about him now, not even his eyes. "Otherwise we would've struck you down already for your instability."

Gods never liked demigods who rebelled against them, much less if they couldn't control their emotions and their urges to do wrong.

Percy barely had enough time to shield her eyes before he showed his real form in front of her. When the light ceased and she moved her hands away from her eyes, he was gone. On his wake, he left a trail of burned ground where the garden was.

It took her a second to process the truth behind his words, and almost a minute to realize that she had angered the only god that tried to help her.

A groan left her mouth, and she collapsed against the porch's columns.

She stayed there for about a minute, hating herself for how she was, when a familiar- yet different- smell reached her nose.

The town of Mystic Falls was full of that awful smell that made Percy's body react and fill with adrenaline, the same smell that made her senses jump and prepare for a fight. Two months inhaling that monster powder and she was almost used to it; the human body had the talent of ignoring an unpleasant smell after having too much of it.

Part of her thought that she was being paranoid, that being so stressed made her nose notice that smell again after ignoring it for so long.

But then a shiver went down her spine, and she knew it was real.

She was being watched, someone was playing with her.

In an instant, she was standing on her feet again. One of her hands moved towards her pockets, taking Riptide out before anything could happen. It was neither of the Salvatore brothers, their stench she had already memorized. This person- this _vampire_ \- was older and more powerful than them.

His stench had almost a royal touch to it.

The others often smelt like cheap copies of death and danger. This one made her think of Thanatos and Hades, this one felt _real_.

She could almost taste his power, it was all around the air. It made the reckless part of her rejoice- those two months without any danger had been too boring- and the other part, the one that still managed to think clearly, worry.

How could a vampire feel so powerful?

 _Unless_... She refused to accept that thought, concerned and startled at the same time. _An Original._

The green-eyed demigoddess kept her voice neutral and calm, her features collected. The least she wanted was to look scared when that particular monster felt so dangerous, so _powerful_.

"It is awfully impolite to spy on a teenage girl." She sighed a little. "Care to introduce yourself..." She hesitated for a moment, then decided to test her luck. "- _Elijah_?"

Before her eyes, a figure emerged from the shadows.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** _Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo don't belong to me. Neither does the Vampire Diaries & The Originals. _

_English is not my native language so I apologize for the mistakes I might have._

 ** _..._**

 **Chapter 13**

 **...**

The newcomer inclined his head in acceptance as he approached.

Percy narrowed her eyes, straining her eyesight as much as was humanly possible, but he was too far away to be properly seen, not to mention the thick cape of fog that covered the whole garden.

"You know about me?" He had an accent.

"My mother told me someone called Elijah was looking for me," Percy explained with a shrug. "Wasn't hard to put two and two together."

He was finally close enough to be stared at.

When she read about the Originals, she had pictured five old vampires. Granted, she herself should know that the oldest beings in the universe were usually bathed in youth, (the perfect example being the gods), but somehow she had pictured them (since they were the very first vampires of history) as old and decaying (a lot like the vampires shown in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but that was mainly her first impression of every vampire).

The man in front of her was everything she had not expected.

He was tall, with dark brown hair and mesmerizing hazel eyes. His features were angelic and divine- which was a perfect example of irony- high cheekbones, strong jawline, and a straight nose.

"Yes, Sally," Elijah smiled a widely, which made the demigoddess tense. "Charming woman, I must say."

He stopped right in front of her, though there was a considerable amount of personal space between them, so that the girl would not feel intimidated or uncomfortable. She noticed his effort, and tilted her head to the side.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," The vampire told her, inclining his head again.

"I'm Persephone Jackson, though you already know that," Percy offered him a forced smile. "The pleasure's all mine."

The green-eyed demigoddess decided to be as polite and well-mannered as he was being. So far he had not attacked nor demanded anything, which was a _good_ signal. From up close, his power was more palpable, more strong; she didn't need to be a daughter of Athena to know that she was bound to show him some respect, or otherwise would have to pay the consequences for disrespecting him.

"I wish we could've met under more pleasant circumstances, if I allow myself to be honest." In one swift movement, he was facing away from her. "But I am afraid I have my own selfish motives for seeking you out. In other words, I want something from you."

His scent was _intoxicating_.

Vampire's scents made her want to heave, but this new scent coming from the Original vampire was the exception. It was, beyond imaginable words, the most alluring and intoxicating smell she had ever been graced with.

Her insides were trembling with exhilaration; intrusive thoughts racing through her head at impossible speed. _How powerful was him?_

 _How hard would it be to fight him?_

 _How good would it feel to have his blood on her hands?_

"Are you going to threaten me and my family if I don't help you?" She sneered at the thought of the other monsters who did that. "Because if you are, I advise you to get in line."

Elijah's reaction surprised her; he couldn't hide his amusement by her words, he shook his head, turning to gaze at her with those mesmerizing eyes of his. A small smirk pulled at his lips.

"I assure you, Ms. Jackson, threatening you never crossed my mind." That made her raise her eyebrows, which only seemed to increase his amusement. "It would be highly idiotic of me to seek you out in your own territory just to threaten you, don't you think?"

Percy couldn't help the way her lips pulled at that; it sounded like he was making fun of the Salvatore brothers and all the other monsters that approached her with threats and ended up swallowing their words.

She eyed him before looking down at the steps of the porch and inviting him with a gesture to sit.

Elijah adapted to his audience by taking a seat across from the young demigoddess there on the steps.

"I'm curious," Percy admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'd like to say I know what you came here to talk to me about, but I'm lost. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"I did not come here to order you to help me," Elijah clarified, thinking it necessary to be as clear as possible with her. "I am here to ask you for a favour."

"A _favor_?" Percy raised her eyebrows, contemplating the choices she had. She didn't believe him fully when he said he wouldn't threaten her; every monster always said that before attacking.

Elijah settled his eyes on her, a small glint there that confused the young girl. "Ms. Jackson, I'd like to know if I'm free to speak with you without having to..." He sought a word out, twisting his fingers distractedly as he did so. "Withheld anything from you."

Percy narrowed her eyes at him, moving her body so instead of facing towards the garden, she was facing him. "Why would you have the need to hide something from me?"

Elijah merely shrugged. "The story of my family is long and complicated, not easily discussed so late at night. Many things are going to happen now, things that have to do with my family. Now, I reckon none of them involve you directly, but as the protector of this town, I thought you'd like to be informed of said things."

 _Protector of Mystic Falls_.

 _Was that how she was perceived as?_

That tittle alone made the young demigoddess wince. So far, the only good thing she had done for the town was keeping the Salvatore brothers from killing any innocent mortals, and that was- truly- easier than breathing. They were so easily intimidated; with just one look she managed to make Damon shut up.

She knew she was capable of protecting mortals from whatever dangers Elijah wanted to tell her about, but the vulnerable part of her was worried.

 _How was she supposed to protect a town she didn't even fully know yet?_

She said to Katherine that she'd deal with the Originals when the time came, but it appears that the time to do so came too soon.

"I know a little about your family," Percy lied. "I don't lose sleep over the thought of them causing me any trouble here in town. So-" She shrugged.

She did lose sleep over-thinking things, but those things were never related to Mystic Falls.

Elijah gave her an amused look, though she couldn't understand the emotion she saw on his eyes. "Is that so?"

"I've had my share of immortal families." She sounded a little tired, though it was easily hidden. "A family that's been alive for thousand of years, creating enemies and destroying those that oppose them," Percy gave him a sarcastic grin, the one that always got her into trouble with almost every deity. "Sounds a bit familiar to me."

"Hardly, I reckon your family is even bloodier than mine." Elijah wasn't faced by her insolence, he simply decided to ignore it for the moment being. "Perhaps you could understand our situation better if you knew our story."

He moved one elegant hand to touch her face, though before he could even gaze her skin, one of her owns hands grabbed his and held it on the air tightly.

 _What was he doing?_ Percy's anger flared dangerously. Her cordiality had a limit; she wasn't some strange thing to be poked at.

"Do not touch me," She managed to keep her voice monotone and neutral, though her eyes were hard and fierce as she stared at him.

"Relax," Elijah's voice was soft and gentle. "I can show you."

She only shook her head and released his hand. "My mind is not to be messed with." _Not again._

"This is nothing like compulsion, I assure you." Elijah promised, keeping the same gentle and low tone of voice that mesmerized the young demigoddess, though he didn't seem to notice the effect it had on her. It was just so easy to listen to his voice, it was so calming somehow. "If anything, you'd be on my mind."

He didn't know Percy's reluctance of having someone on her head went beyond that; it was bigger than vampires and their abilities of controlling mortals. One way or another, the gods were _always_ on her mind, reading her thoughts and anticipating her moves.

Now that she hadn't interacted with many gods in months, it felt like being free; like she could think whatever she wanted without fearing their reaction if they listened to her thoughts.

She didn't even let Asclepius in her thoughts; and after his outburst at her, she was glad she never really opened herself to him.

" _I_ 'd be on _your_ head?" Percy forced herself to think it through. If seeing his memories was faster than just talking, it was worth a shot. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

 _He could kill her._

 _He could seriously harm her._

 _He could enter her mind and see her weaknesses._

After a second, Percy realized she was so tired she didn't really care.

"May I?" Elijah moved his hands as though wanting to cup her face.

Reluctantly, the young demigoddess gave her consent, and only then, his hands came to rest upon her cheeks.

His contact was warm against her cold skin, but the second he touched her, Percy's shoulders tensed.

She'd been sure of her decision- anything to finally get that conversation done- but now that they were closer and that he had advantage over her as he was holding her face on his hands, she started to worry a little.

"Relax, Ms. Jackson," Elijah's voice meant to reassure her. Hearing her heartbeat was enough for the oldest vampire in the universe to know she was entering a state of adrenaline induced numbness. By then, her mind was probably racing through a million things.

And he wasn't wrong.

She could only think that, with one swift movement, _he could crack her neck and end her life._

Then it was, _what if he was just wanting to sink his teeth on her flesh?_

"I need you to close your eyes," Elijah told her.

Percy obliged, though her shoulders were tense and she could barely breathe.

"Ms. Jackson, I advise you to breathe if you wish to continue being conscious." Elijah's voice sounded a little irritated, but his words made the young demigoddess open her mouth and inhale sharply. "If I wanted to harm you, you would've known it immediately. Trust me, if just for a second."

Percy couldn't trust him. However, not wanting to anger him further, nor to make the situation longer than it needed to be, she forced herself to relax, trying to think only of pleasant things and not about how close to each other they were.

She felt the pull when their minds connected, she could never truly describe the sensation, but it felt as though she was in two places at once: her own body, and his mind.

"In the beginning, our family was human," His words were spoken out-loud, but with every word, Percy was able to see new images crossing her mind.

A small gasp left her mouth, for she was surprised and startled. It was like trying to think of an old memory, it certainly felt like something she had to struggle to see, but, at the same time, easier.

"A thousand years ago now."

The demigoddess saw who looked to be Elijah- _human Elijah, with long hair and extremely old fashioned clothes- laughing as he battled with a handsome young man, almost his same age, with long blond hair and blue eyes. A breathtakingly gorgeous blonde girl- who looked an awfully lot like the man Elijah was fighting- smiling as she watched them._

"Are those the other Originals?" Percy asked, though she knew the answer. She was trying not to feel dizzy with the multiple images crossing her head and mixing with her own thoughts.

Elijah made a sound of agreement. "Niklaus and Rebekah."

 _Then the image shifted and the raven-haired girl found herself seeing another man, one that looked a little younger than Niklaus and Elijah, though the resemblance between them made it quite obvious that they were related. He was laughing as he made a small child float on the air._

"A sorcerer," Percy recognized easily. "Or whatever you mortals call it. Wizards? Warlocks?"

"Kol and Henrik," Elijah supplied quietly, not answering her question. "And here comes Finn."

 _The man that approached the laughing boys looked to be the oldest of them, and also the most serious. Instead of rejoicing at the joy the little child was showing as he floated on thin air, he reprimanded the other man and told him to put the kid down._

 _"You need to get that stick out of your bloody arse already, brother," The young warlock gave his brother a look before gently lowering his arm and making the young child touch the ground again. "It was only but a game."_

"You said your family was human," Percy commented, eyes still closed as she tried to take in as much as she could from what he was showing her. "But he's not."

"We were," Elijah pursed his lips. "My mother dabbled in the dark arts, a trait only one of us was able to inherit."

 _The image shifted again so they were back at watching Elijah and Niklaus sword-fight. Percy couldn't help but smile in amusement when she saw the blond man unbuckling his brother's belt with one swift movement of his sword._

"Now that's a move I haven't done yet," Percy laughed, unable to hide her amusement. "If only it were that easy."

Elijah chuckled. "Yes, I imagine that unbuckling someone's belt won't help much in a real sword fight with someone from your world."

The green eyed demigoddess thought she'd have to try that move with her cousin and friend, Jason.

She could picture his embarrassment and Piper's laughter already. It made her grin a little.

Nico would probably laugh too, he loved making Jason embarrassed for all the times he embarrassed him in the past.

"You seemed pretty much like a normal family, apart from the magic," Percy didn't open her eyes, knowing that it could make her even more dizzy than she already was. Elijah hummed in agreement, his eyes closed too. "So what happened?"

"For better or for worse, we were happy," Elijah removed his hands from her face, though the images kept coming.

After happiness comes pain, sorrow, heartbreak. That much Percy was completely sure of; it was how her whole life always went. It appeared that it had been the same for that specific family.

She didn't open her eyes, but once she saw what the new images were about, she wished she had broken the connection somehow.

"That is, however, until one night, our youngest brother- Henrik- was killed by our village's greatest threat. Men that could transform themselves into wolves during the full moon."

 _Niklaus was crying desperately as he carried the corpse of a small child- barely big enough to look eight years old, the same boy that had been laughing as his brother made him levitate. The state his body was under made it hard for anyone to look at for longer than a second; it was almost unrecognizable, with skin missing in some places, and blood- so much blood._

Percy stopped breathing.

She forced herself to open her eyes, not standing to look at it anymore.

She'd seen enough dead children in both wars to see another one.

"Our family was devastated, none more than Niklaus." Elijah paused for a moment. "Desperate to protect the rest of us, our father forced our mother to call upon her black magic in order to make us stronger."

She didn't like where the story was going. Tempting the Fates in such a way would only make things worse.

She could understand that woman's pain, but making her sons and her daughter immortal was only going to make them suffer twice as much as they usually would. The Fates (and also the gods) do not stand when mere witches use spells of such capacity.

The Olympian gods only accept immortality when it's them who grant it. For it is a gift, but also a punishment.

By making her family immortal, that witch was only cursing them for all of eternity. The Fates would take it upon themselves to make their lives miserable. That much, Percy knew from second-hand experience.

"She can't do that-" Percy started, then bit her tongue; she shouldn't care about the fate of monsters.

Elijah laid his hand on her cheek once again, the contact making the young girl close her eyes, bracing herself for the next images that would surge.

 _The young demigoddess saw a gorgeous blonde woman, one that could only be the mother of the Original family, for she was making a spell as an unknown man watched, probably her husband. When it was done, the unknown man held the bleeding arm of an unknown person in front of the blonde girl from before._

 _"Drink!" The man roared._

 _Crying and shaking with fear, the girl obliged and bit hard into the bloody wrist._

Percy felt disgusted, a feeling that only increased when she saw the man doing the same with the others. _Every single one of them was forced to drink blood._

Then, afterwards, she felt her eyes widen when she watched the father of the Originals kill them one by one in cold blood.

"Thus, the first vampires were born." Elijah's voice was devoid of all emotion.

Percy opened her eyes, making him blink when he found himself staring right into sea-green orbs. It was like staring right into the sea.

"Your mother turned you into immortal creatures...because she was scared of watching you all die?"

Percy couldn't get that thought across her head, no matter how hard she tried to.

She'd heard about the birth of countless monsters; the Minotaur, Arachne, Medusa, etc. But none of them had been born- or created- out of love.

Between the gods themselves, parents never did anything generous for their children.

Hera threw Hephaestus out of Mount Olympus because he was born with special needs.

Zeus sexually assaulted his own daughters.

Rhea let her husband commit cannibalism with their kids.

Demeter developed an unhealthy obsession with Kore (Queen Persephone's birth-name) and almost destroyed the whole world in a temper tantrum after discovering she got married.

Percy shook her head and tried to concentrate better. "Is that how you became vampires? Or was there some long process after the spell?"

"With this speed, this strength, this immortality that we were granted, came a terrible hunger that we felt immediately after being reborn."

"And since you were made immortal by drinking blood, I imagine that was the only thing that could satisfy that hunger you felt." Percy thought of spells and how tricky they usually were.

"You're smarter than people give you credit for, Ms. Jackson." Elijah complimented, nodding curtly at her. "No one felt this hunger more than Niklaus. When he killed for the first time, we knew what he truly was."

 _What he truly was?_

Percy gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Then the flashes started again, and she had all the answers she needed. When she saw Niklaus attacking someone and drinking all their blood, she grimaced in disgust, to then gasp when his bones started to crack and he fell to the ground with multiple screams of pain.

" _What is happening to me? Father! It hurts!"_

In a second, she knew what was happening to him. She thanked the gods for never been present when a werewolf turned- because it was bloody and dangerous- but she knew the process they went through. And that, whatever happened to Niklaus, was exactly how a werewolf transformation started.

 _The father of the Originals gave him a disgusted look. "He's a beast, an abomination_."

The connection abruptly ended when Elijah removed his hands from her face.

"He wasn't just a vampire."

"He's a vampire," Percy scowled. " _And_ a werewolf. How?" The werewolf gene was passed genetically, which meant someone on their family had to have been a werewolf.

"Niklaus was the result of an indiscretion our mother had hidden from us all. An affair, with a werewolf."

Percy knew she should've seen it coming.

That look of complete and unadulterated disgust shown on that man's face as he eyed Niklaus was one Percy was used to seeing everywhere.

It was the same look Amphitrite adopted when she was forced to spend time with her.

"Your father was an asshole," Percy finally broke the silence surrounding them. "He let your brother suffer, but your brother was not to blame for what your mother did."

She should feel annoyed that she was now practically defending a monster, but she could only think of her own situation. She'd seen so many gods taking all their anger out on the children their significant others had with mortals; she'd received so many disgusted looks from both Triton and Amphitrite...

She took it as a personal offense every time something like that happened to anyone; even if it was a monster, she hated with all her soul to see that kind of disgust on someone's face.

"No one was to blame, but our own father-" Elijah paused. "Had he been more affectionate with our mother, she wouldn't have felt the need to seek love somewhere else."

Percy shook her head. "I'm not defending her, don't get me wrong. Lonely or not, if you're married, you have to be loyal. Your mother-" She shook her head, deciding against continuing with her train of thoughts. Her mind was too full of more important things than a woman being needy enough to cheat.

Elijah thought he understood the reason for the demigoddess to defend his brother, though he had the reasons wrong. He thought she was thinking of her own situation- and while she was, it wasn't her main concern- for he knew that she was a bastard child, too.

But in reality, she felt offended at the thought of someone being married and being not loyal to said sacred oath.

More than religion- she really couldn't have an opinion about it when she was the daughter of a Greek god- it was about _love_. Marriage was an oath of love, of understanding each other and fighting for each other, for as long as they were living.

It was the biggest form of loyalty, and maybe she was just a hopeless romantic or a fool, but she felt disgusted and uneasy with the thought of such an act being broken by something as disgusting as cheating.

Elijah broke her train of thoughts by saying, "My intention is not for you to sympathize with us, but to understand what you could end up dealing with." He smiled thinly, "Because although I will try to keep you out of my family business, something tells me you'll find yourself dragged right in."

"Obviously," Percy replied dryly. "I often find myself involved in things I never wanted to be part of. That's my luck, that's how much the Fates love me."

"My brother spent centuries obsessed with your kind," Elijah added. "I imagine he'll destroy me before he misses the chance to meet a real demigoddess."

"Niklaus-" Percy started, worried, with an ugly feeling pressing into her stomach. _An Original hybrid obsessed with her?_

Elijah shook his head. "No, not him."

The demigoddess' heart almost stopped. "Wait. Does that mean the other Originals are also coming?"

She'd seen them as mortals and had to admit they looked pretty harmless, but a thousand years had passed since then.

Enough time to turn anyone into a monster.

If being around Elijah, who was kind and polite, felt like being around a bomb that could detonate at any moment, just how dangerous could the other Originals feel like?

His power alone made Percy feel intoxicated, how could she survive having five more powerful beings in town? The thought alone made her feel new waves of stress entering her body.

Then she felt angry, _what right did they think they had_?

 _How could they just march into town and behave as though they owned it?_

She was about to open her mouth to inquire more about their arrival in town, but he was quick to interrupt her, looking quite impatient.

He said, "From the very beginning of our conversation I've tried to make you understand that the deal I'm offering you favours you more than it favours me. I only ask for a couple of things from you, while I promise to protect you and your family from my brother's wrath and any other danger that might come to you in this wretched town," He was now on a roll, he even took a step forwards and stood closer to her.

Percy stood her ground, watching him as intently as he was watching her, though a little curious as to his sudden urge to get her help.

"What do you require of me?" Percy tilted her head to the side. For her, it made no sense. He was immortal, rich, and powerful. Not to mention, one of the first of his kind; which meant he was to be respected among his kind.

What could he _possibly_ need from _her_?

"Ms. Jackson-" Elijah sounded exasperated and angry. He composed himself with a sigh, and said, "It's about Niklaus."

Percy tensed after hearing that, though she was positive it had to do with him.

Hybrids were the ban of her existence; almost every monster she'd fought was a hybrid of some sort. Usually, they were the hardest to kill, the ones that made her strain the most to destroy them.

"The hybrid," Percy sighed in annoyance. "Of course it has to do with him."

The only hybrid she could stand was Bessie, innocent and cute Bessie.

Something told her that Niklaus, who was a hybrid of two horrible mortal monsters, was obviously more dangerous than Bessie- the ophiotaurus- could ever be.

"He's not a hybrid," Elijah's words made the demigoddess scowl and turn to face him. "You see, my father forced our mother to cast a spell that suppressed Niklaus' werewolf side, denying him any connection with his true self."

Percy's mouth hung open with shock at that. Then she rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Your father is so disgusting."

"Afterwards, my brother changed-"

"As was to be expected," Percy pointed out. "Not only were you all turned into monsters, but he was also stripped of every single thing that made him himself. That's how monsters are made, dude."

Elijah blinked at how quick she was to accept that they've turned into monsters, but then decided that it probably had to do with her own life and how she'd seen many people become monsters very easily.

"I cannot excuse his behavior, but you must understand that our father hunted him- hunted _us_ \- for centuries, and every time we found a moment of happiness, we were forced to flee and start again." Elijah looked uncomfortable, not used to share so much personal information with anyone. "Niklaus became vindictive, full of rage and hatred."

Percy watched him intently as he spoke, knowing it was probably hard for him to say so much about their personal lives, but not stopping him.

"He often struck down those that opposed him," Elijah's voice was, once again, devoid of all emotions. He looked away from her, setting his eyes on the destroyed garden. "No matter how close to him they are."

The green eyed demigoddess had an idea of where that was going. Disgusted, but at the same time, having heard similar stories before, she thought that meant Niklaus had done something to his own family, probably to his other siblings.

"What did he do?" She asked.

"The ocean." Elijah answered, voice soft. "He buried them there."

There was a long pause in which both parts were equally quiet.

The horror of the situation reminded her of her own family and the kind of punishment they had for each other.

She didn't know how to feel, mostly because she had thought the gods were the only beings capable of being so cruel and horrible.

She was clearly wrong.

It was strange to think that mortals- or mortal monsters, if she was technical about it- were also capable of so much cruelty.

"I'm sorry," Percy said at last, and this time, she truly meant it.

Certain parts of the ocean had so many pressure in them that it immediately destroyed a human body. And, as much as those vampires were immortal, their bodies were not.

If Elijah wanted her to find his siblings and take them out, it was to properly bury them.

"I know I'm asking much of you, I don't know exactly where they are-" Elijah was speaking in a whisper, and when he turned to lock eyes with her, she was finally able to see all the pain he was holding into.

She found herself shaking her head.

She loved the ocean, and being on it always made her feel useful and good, almost a normal teenager. To find those vampires, she only had to call in a few favors from the deities her father had in his realm; it would be easy.

It was her domain, after all. If she couldn't get them out, no one could.

"No worries about it, man," Percy forced herself to give him a smile. "I'll find them."

Elijah looked grateful, a smile lighting his whole face. She never thought she'd receive such a look from a monster, but she was a little glad that she managed to make him happy.

She'd never admit it, but she missed feeling useful; it was the curse set on demigods: they constantly needed to feel useful and to be doing something.

 _What good was it to be a hero if you weren't helping anyone?_

That past month had been so boring, so monotone, part of her craved adventure and something new to distract herself with. She hated herself for it, but that's how she felt.

"May I ask you something?"

She looked towards him, and shrugged. "Sure."

"What made you accept my request?"

Percy didn't think much of it, though the lie came bouncing off her lips. "You gave me a choice." When he looked up and tilted his head to the side, she continued. "Not everyone does that."

Elijah allowed himself one last smile. "I'm a devout feminist, Ms. Jackson. Women are capable of taking their own decisions, more so when it's about an important matter."

"Meet me tomorrow," Percy said when she noticed the sky was starting to change colors. "It's getting too late."

Elijah stood, held out a hand for her to stand up too. She hesitated, but then decided there was no danger in accepting the kind gesture, and allowed him to help her stand on her own feet. He walked her to the door, where he waited until she had opened it and was safe inside her house.

"Good night, Ms. Jackson." Elijah hesitated before leaving, something she noticed. At last, he said, "Thank you."

But Percy only nodded in answer, trying to push down all the guilt she was feeling. While his story had captivated her, she wasn't doing him that favor out of the kindness of her heart.

She know had the perfect excuse for seeking her father. What she wanted was to see Poseidon, to enter his domain.

Because, even when she felt offended and hurt by his absence, the truth was, she missed him.

 **...**

Two hours later, a sleep-deprived Percy was standing in front of her vanity mirror, getting ready for school with as much velocity as her numb limbs let her. Her body was running on only thirty-minutes of sleep, which contributed to her usual distracted self even more.

She wasn't aware of half the things she was doing.

One of her hands grabbed the small makeup bag close to her perfumes, then was forced to cough loudly and almost puke when she applied perfume on her mouth instead of lipstick; then shortly after, she was forced to sit down on the bed and close her eyes when she realized she applied mascara on her cheeks instead of blush.

She needed to sleep a little, or she'd end up getting herself seriously injured through the day.

She was already losing consciousness when her stepfather came to knock upon her door.

"Sleeping beauty, wake up." Paul chuckled.

She made sound that was half protest, half whimper.

"Come on, pumpkin, we're going to be late." Paul moved to take her backpack before she could protest. "You can sleep in the car."

She almost fell off the stairs a couple of times, but in the end she managed to go downstairs. Paul was waiting for her in the kitchen, looking at Sally with love and adoration as she massaged her slightly swollen belly distractedly.

Her mother brightened upon seeing her, and promptly offered breakfast, which the young girl was too sleepy to accept, and then somehow, when Percy blinked, they were already inside Paul's car.

"Go back to sleep," Paul told her gently, driving away from the house. "I'll wake you up when we get to the school."

She didn't need to be told twice.

Paul turned the radio on, and for a long time, Percy was in a state of sleep where her body was completely unconscious, but part of her was able to listen to her surroundings. She heard Paul softly singing along to some of those songs on the radio, she heard him speaking to someone on the cellphone, she heard him complaining to himself about the traffic...

Then, as she entered deeper into Morpheus realm, everything got quiet for a little while.

Then:

 _"Persephone is alright, brother-"_

 _"How can you say that?" That voice. Percy_ knew _that voice. Her heart started to thump loudly, and she, scared that somehow they'd hear her erratic heartbeat and discover she was there, took a step back against her will, stumbling into something she couldn't see. Everywhere she looked, she was met with darkness._

 _She didn't dare to move, didn't dare to breathe._

 _What was happening?_

 _Where was she?_

 _Why couldn't she see them?_

 _"She's a strong woman,"_ Artemis _. That was Artemis' voice. "You have to trust her-"_

 _"I_ do _trust her," Apollo snapped. "And I am not ignoring her strength. But you cannot tell me not to be furious right now. You two promised my son would help her overcome this dark shadow that's settled over her like a pesky plague, but it's been two months and her situation has only gotten worse!"_

 _Something must've been written on the god's face, because another familiar voice interrupted the maiden goddess, and said, "We honestly thought Asclepius could help. Brother, we didn't know his patience could wear short."_

 _"She was asking for me," His voice broke, then the next thing that Percy heard was his deep breathing, as though he was trying to collect himself after a breakdown. "My_ girl _was asking for me, and my_ son _refused to answer her-"_

 _"Asclepius is not to blame for his silence," Artemis was quick to defend her nephew, though there was a certain degree of disgust laced on her voice. "You know very well that our father has forbidden everyone to utter a single word about your punishment to anyone."_

 _Apollo sounded angry when he replied, "It didn't stop Aphrodite from gossiping about it with the nymphs. It didn't stop Poseidon himself coming down here just to mock me for being weak-"_

 _Hermes interrupted him, surprise on his voice. "Uncle Poseidon did_ what _?"_

 _"Our uncle came here, against our father's orders," Apollo sucked in a breath, as though it hurt him to remember the encounter, or maybe he was just under a great deal of pain. He certainly sounded pained. "To laugh at my misery and rejoice at the sight of me." He made a sound that was half a scoff, half a laugh. "His words, you two should've heard him."_

 _Artemis sounded surprised too. "He was cruel?"_

 _Out of everyone on their family, Poseidon was usually the uncle they appreciated the most. They knew him enough to know the sea could be cruel and harsh, but they honestly never expected him to be so direct towards his feelings with Apollo when, in the past, he had been through that same punishment Apollo was currently going through._

 _"The truth of his words were the only cruel thing about his visit," Apollo replied, voice now devoid of all emotions._

 _"Were those words about our beloved cousin?" Hermes inquired, not a sign of malice on his voice._

 _Artemis sounded exasperated when she answered him, "We're talking about Poseidon, Hermes. Of course it was about Percy._ Everything _that comes out of his mouth is about her. Which leads me to believe that, what he said to you, Apollo, was only cruel because it involved her."_

 _There was a small pause._

 _Hermes whistled and looked down at the marble floor. "That's low, and petty. Though extremely reasonable." At the looks he received, he shrugged and continued. "Come on, we're talking about the father of your ex-girlfriend. Of course he'd hate you."_

 _"But he's also his uncle," Artemis stressed. "Our uncle."_

 _"And Percy is his favorite daughter-" Hermes shrugged, as if that explained everything._

 _"He said I never made her happy," Apollo interrupted the fight that would most definitely start between the messenger god and the maiden goddess. "And I suppose he's right, because look where we are now. Look how we ended."_

 _"That's not true," Artemis and Hermes said, almost at the same time, which would've been strange, had they not been too involved in Apollo's words to notice. "You two were happy-"_

 _"She's suffering," His voice broke, which would've been a pathetic sign on any other deity. But he did not care, and neither did his siblings. "And I cannot be there to help her."_

 _Hermes and Artemis shared a look, then looked away._

 _How miserable his existence was, forced to hear about his lover's tragedy, but unable to do anything to help. He imagined that must've been how Patroclus felt when he was forced to stay in the underworld, knowing that his beloved Achilles was suffering from his absence and avenging his death in the most brutal of ways._

 _"And now my son won't even help her overcome those feelings-" Apollo hissed in pain, then groaned._

 _"Don't move so much," Artemis chided, her voice strangely gentle. "You're only going to hurt yourself more."_

 _Apollo made a sound of protest. "Do not approach me, sister, you know what will happen if you touch me."_

 _"You'll infect me," Artemis chuckled a little, though the joke got lost on Percy's confused ears._

 _Apollo chuckled too, though there was no humor on his voice. "I wouldn't call mortality an infection, my dear little sister."_

 _That enough made the goddess scoff angrily, then stomp her foot hard on the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum. "I am older than you, Apollo. For how long do I even_ have _to continue correcting you-"_

 _"There's something else," Hermes interrupted them, his voice full of exhaustion. They've had that discussion every day for almost four thousand years. Artemis was born first; she even helped Leto deliver Apollo. Didn't they grow tired of the same argument?_

 _"We're listening."_

 _Hermes pursed bus lips, deep in thoughts. "I don't know if it's something father has done, or if that wretched town hold something far more dangerous than we originally thought, but for some strange reason, I cannot enter Mystic Falls."_

 _Artemis' annoyance evaporated, and she actually considered what her brother said. "Do you think there's something deeper lurking in Mystic Falls? Something capable of stopping a god from entering?"_

 _Mentally, the goddess made a list of creatures powerful enough to do so, but every single one of them were buried in the deepest parts of Tartarus, so she resigned to having to look into it another time. What mattered in that moment was her brother; she had to cherish the limited time she got to see him before he was, once again, taken away._

 _"We're talking about Percy, with her luck, it could be." Apollo then made a sound of pain again, "Fucking hell, to what use am I if I can't even help her? Gods-"_

 _Suddenly, young demigoddess was pulled away from the darkness and into a white room, where, after blinking a couple of times to adjust her eyesight, she was able to see a young girl, seemingly around ten-eleven years old, with auburn hair and dark skin that contrasted against her silvery eyes. By the little girl's side, a man in his mid-thirties stood in all his handsome glory, with hair dark enough to mold into the shadows, and light eyes full of mischief._

 _"Artemis, Hermes," Percy's voice sounded far away, even when she was standing almost in front of them. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone else._

 _The maiden goddess was the first to notice her presence there, and after widening her eyes in recognition, she took one step forwards as if to touch her, but then Percy's image flickered, and she stopped in contemplation._

 _"What is happening?" Apollo demanded. "What are you two looking at? What's out there?"_

 _"Percy," Artemis sounded startled. "She's here." Not on body, but on spirit._

 _"She's dreaming about us," Hermes corrected his sister, which only made him receive a pointed glare. "Hello, sweetheart."_

 _Percy stared at them, green eyes full of confusion. She tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth._

 _She looked around the room, looking for the owner of the voice she'd heard before, but could not see anyone else there._

 _"Where is he?" The demigoddess blinked._

 _There was no need for them to ask who she was talking about, but none of them knew how to react. At first, they shared a worried look- Percy was literally standing in front of Apollo, how could she not see him?- then their confusion grew even more when their own brother stared blankly ahead._

 _"I can't see her," Apollo sounded desperate. "Where is she? Why can't I see her? Where is she?"_

 _"Apollo?" Percy breathed out, able to hear his voice. Her heart beat so fast and hard against her chest that it almost hurt._

 _"Percy-" Apollo choked. "Why can't I see you?"_

 _"I'm right here," Percy shook her head, desperate to understand what was happening. Part of her wanted to see him more than anything else, the other part was scared to even think about it. How was she supposed to react? Everyone ever said that their behavior had to change after a breakup, but truthfully, she could care less what they were- friends, lovers- she just wanted to see him and make sure he was okay._

 _"I can't see you." Apollo lamented, heart beating so hard and so agitated against his chest that he worried he could have a heart attack now that, as part of the process he was forced to go through, his body was more vulnerable. His father would most definitely be furious if he died of something as human as a heart attack before his punishment took place._

 _He moved a little, desperate, which caused a familiar clicking sound to echo through the room._

 _"You're chained-" Percy realized with a start. "Your punishment. Apollo, what have they done to you?" Percy forced herself to sound reasonable, to control her heartbeat and to think with clarity. "Are you okay?"_

 _Hermes and Artemis were glad the demigoddess couldn't see him, because his state was truly painful to watch. Both physically and mentally, he was destroying himself there, all alone. Or rather,_ Zeus _was destroying everything godly about him._

 _When he shook his head, and muttered something about him not mattering and instead inquired about her health and her well-being, both his siblings were utterly shocked to the core of their immortal existence._

 _Apollo was one of the most vain, self-centered gods in all of Olympus. He never wasted an opportunity to talk about himself, to gain sympathy from others. Very few times he let others see what he really cared about- because, honestly, he never cared about himself- so Artemis and Hermes cherished that small part of himself that he showed them when he asked Percy how_ she _was feeling._

 _And, as they watched the demigoddess answering his questions, they realized she knew it too._

 _She knew Apollo more than they did._

 _"I'm sorry," Percy said at last._

 _It was hard to talk to him without being able to see him, and it was weighing her down. It was almost as exasperating as communicating via letters, which they tried to do after Poseidon discovered about them and threatened to separate them._

 _Hermes and Artemis didn't know what she was apologizing for, but when they looked at Apollo, they realized he knew perfectly well what she was talking about. His eyes were full of unshed tears, and he struggled to remain quiet against his chains._

 _"I am too," Apollo whispered gently. There was a short pause between them, one where the girl simply stayed looking down at the floor, and he kept his eyes closed. Then, he cleared his throat and sough another topic, "I apologize for my son-"_

 _"He doesn't matter," Percy scoffed, shaking her head. "He wasn't really helping me anyways."_

 _Apollo looked down and nodded, though the movement hurt him to the very core of his being. He tried to find the right words, which was new, because with her, he never had the need to seek words out. Talking to her used to be as normal and easy as breathing. Now he didn't know what to do or say, how to apologize for the failure that he was, how to try to fix the friendship they were forced to lose._

 _"I wish I could be there for you," Apollo said at last._

 _Percy smiled a little, though it didn't reach her eyes. "And I here, for you."_

 _There was so much they wanted to talk about, so much they still needed to discuss. But there was no time, no opportunity to speak when they couldn't even see each other, when she wasn't there at all, when Artemis and Hermes were carefully watching their encounter._

 _"Percy-" Apollo started, his voice fading out._

 _The connection they had seemed to break, because the young demigoddess could not hear him anymore._

 _"Dear child," Artemis stood in front of Percy, watching as her figure shifted. "You are not supposed to be here."_

 _"Demigods cannot have demigods dreams anymore," Hermes added. "It's literally impossible since Apollo is-" He stopped himself._

 _"What_ is _his punishment?" Percy was starting to get annoyed with the secrecy everyone had about it. No matter how hard she looked for in mythology books, no matter how hard she tried to interrogate the gods she saw, she couldn't discover what it was._

 _All she knew was that it was bad._

 _"I'm sorry," Artemis talked then. "We can't tell you."_

 _"This is a dream," Percy reminded them, "I'm technically not here. You wouldn't be breaking any rule because I'm not here."_

 _"Smart girl," Hermes praised, grinning. "Listen closely, because I will only tell you the story once-"_

Though Percy could never hear the end of his sentence, because with one unpleasant pull, she found herself back on the car.

It felt like those situations where one is asleep and suddenly, you're harshly awaken by a strange pull on the chest, as though you were falling from up high and into a bed- or in that case, the car's seat.

Percy took several deep breaths, hating the horrible sensation that made pressure on her chest.

 _Fucking hell_. She hated so much those fucking demigod's dreams.

"Oh, you're awake! Good," Paul sounded too happy for the young girl's liking. How could anyone be happy so early in the morning? "We're almost there."

Percy groaned in response, rubbing at her eyes before remembering she had mascara on, and, groaning again, she took the small mirror she had on her bag and started to clean the smudge she'd created by rubbing at her eyes.

"I never use makeup for this exact same reason," She tried to shake the sleep off her body, but ended up yawning and almost falling back to sleep. "I always end up messing it up."

"What made you wear it today?" Paul gave her a curious look. "Someone you wanted to impress?"

The girl half-shrugged, choosing to ignore his last question. "Well, I don't really know, I just felt like it." And that was a phrase that could perfectly describe the life of an ADHD person.

Paul nodded, acknowledging her answer. After a small pause, he hesitated before daring to ask the question that had been running through his mind for a couple of days by then.

"Dear?" And when she made a sound that meant she was listening to him, he inquired, "Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

The young girl didn't look at him as she answered, eyes set on her backpack as she carefully secured the small mirror in one of its pockets. "Not as much as a human is supposed to."

Paul stole a glance at her before looking right ahead. "Nightmares?" His knuckles were almost white from how tight he was grabbing into the steering wheel.

Percy considered her chances, then decided against lying; it was easier to be truthful with Paul than with Sally, for some inexplicable reason. Besides, he looked pretty concerned. She thought he deserved the truth.

"Yes."

They didn't speak more of the situation, though they felt closer to each other than before. He didn't know that, but she had been more sincere with him with that single word than she had been with her mother in months.

Percy loved her mother so much she didn't want to worry her.

But in her attempts not to worry her mother, she was slowly losing the connection they had.

"You have my permission to sleep on class," Paul said at last.

Percy stared at him.

He allowed himself a smirk. "Only if you promise to read Hamlet instead of simply copying Ms. Darcy's work."

Percy groaned. "Fuck, I forgot about that shit. I hate it so much."

"Language," Paul chided. "And Hamlet is not shit, it's actually pretty lit."

Percy snickered at his attempt to speak like teenagers did. "Maybe, but I just hate the original version so much. I don't understand half the words he says."

"I'm going to tell you a little secret, dear," Paul smirked some more. "No one understands what Shakespeare wants to say. There are an awful lot of jokes about the male genitalia, though."

"Dick jokes?" Percy raised her eyebrows, suddenly interested. "Such as?"

Paul gave her a smirk. "Read the play and you'll see."

She was _definitely_ not going to read the play. She was, however, going to make Emma finish reading it, and afterwards, she'd ask her about those dick jokes Paul talked of.

There was a pleasant silence between them, but as time passed, Percy's smile started to die away.

"What's wrong?" Paul asked immediately, as though he had a sixth sense that told him when something was wrong with his stepdaughter.

The young demigoddess thought about dismissing his question as her being tired, but something inside her protested at that idea. She wanted to talk about the dream, she realized with a start, and if it wasn't with Paul, it had to be with Emma or Damon.

Her demigod friends were harder to get a hold of now that, for some reason, Iris wasn't accepting the offerings they made to her, which meant that no one could use IM's as a way of communicating.

Then she thought about Emma and Damon, and how hard it was going to try and find a way to explain to them everything about the dream without revealing much about her world.

Paul was her best- and safest- option.

"I had a demigod dream."

The effect those words had on her stepfather was instantaneous. His whole body tensed, and he straightened on the seat as though expecting something bad to happen right then and there.

"What happened?" Paul quickly inquired, then turned back to stare at the road, not wanting to have an accident. "Do you need me to drive you to Camp? Are your friends okay?"

"Yes, yes-" Percy was sorry she'd mentioned that, she never meant for him to get worried. Truthfully, she didn't know what to make out of that dream. All she knew was that the pressure on her chest wasn't only because of lack of sleep; she had heard her ex-boyfriend's voice after not hearing it for months, and even worse, she didn't know how that made her feel. She couldn't even understand how it felt to talk with him after so long. "No one is in danger, everything's okay, I swear."

Paul seemed to breathe again, his shoulders slacking as he relaxed a little. "Then what did you see?"

At first, she thought about making something up, but, once again, she started to speak without her brain's permission first.

"I saw Artemis and Hermes," Percy hesitated.

"Your friends," Paul recognized those names.

"Gods cannot be friends with mortals."

Paul scowled. "You were friends with the sun god before dating him."

The sun god- it was easier for him to call Apollo that rather than his name. His wife had often said names had power, and he believed her.

The daughter of the sea tried not to think of the past, thought it was all her mind could ever focus on. She couldn't find the words to explain that, her relationship with Apollo- both the platonic and the romantic one- had been _special_. The weren't enough words in the world to describe how important it had been without it sounding as though she believed she was a " _special snowflake_ ", as Ares often said.

The struggle to answer was clearly written on her face, for Paul looked a little sheepish after saying that.

"He was never just a god for me," Percy tried to explain herself a little better, but no words came to her.

She'd been perfectly aware of his status as an Olympian god, that was never the problem. But, what she really meant to say, was that he, with her, was never just a god. He was always a person, he was always a lover, a passionate and endearing being full of love and beautiful qualities.

But she realized there were not enough words to describe that.

"What were they doing?" Paul gave her a curious look. "What were they talking about?"

"Me," Percy blinked, trying to ignore the fact that, soon, they'll be at school. She would rather be at home, on her bed, sleeping. "They were talking about me."

That worried the mortal man more than he could like to admit.

"Have you annoyed them in any way?" That was the first thing he asked.

Percy couldn't help but smile a little at that. He smiled too, and she shook her head as a response.

(She was definitely not going to tell him that the previous night she'd angered a god so much he almost pulverized her.)

"Maybe I said something that offended their very sensible selves-" She smiled coldly. "Frankly? I don't give a fuck. Maybe, if they minded their own business, they wouldn't feel offended-"

She was interrupted when the sky darkened, lightning striking down on a nearby tree. Paul jumped at least two feet on the air, bumping his head against the roof of the car, and steered away from the burning tree. Percy rolled her eyes, getting tired of all the constant thunder and lightning in her life, while lifting a finger and watching through the rear-view mirror as waves of water came out from nowhere and engulfed the tree, putting the flames out.

"Your uncle is angry." Paul chuckled nervously. "Maybe you should stop being so..." He couldn't find the right word; he had one in mind, but it would offend her.

"I just hate them so much," Percy spit out, surprising her stepfather. She missed the worried look he threw in her direction, just as she missed how the air seemed to get a little tense after her words. " _Specially_ Zeus."

Paul forced himself to look away, for there were a lot of things about that conversation that he didn't like.

He could understand it if she said she was tired of the gods and their drama, but to go as far as to say she hated them...

She had never said anything like that.

Demigods who said that were the ones that rebelled against the gods, the ones that were tempted by darker forces and ended being almost possessed by them. _Demigods like Luke._

As discretely as he could, Paul stared at her while driving, trying to see if there was something in her that was strange. But his stomach dropped when he realized she looked, though more tired, the same as always.

There was nothing different in her. Those thoughts and that intense hatred towards the gods...that was all her.

He looked away.

"Anyways," Percy started to say, not knowing the thoughts racing through Paul's head. "The dream was useless, I didn't find out what I was supposed to."

"Sweetheart?" Paul started, hesitating as he tried to ignore his worried thoughts about her strange behavior. "Maybe you're not meant to know what the dream tried to show you just yet. Maybe, as time passes by, you'll know why the Fates thought you needed to see that, to see them talking about you." He let his words sink in, then added, "Have you thought about that?"

Percy shook her head, and then they were silent during the rest of the way to school.

She didn't tell him she talked with Apollo on her dream, because that would be a whole new argument, not to mention that he'd immediately say that was the reason for the demigod dream; that she'd been so obsessed with him that her subconscious had, somehow, allowed her to talk with him one last time.

She knew no one, specially her parents, would believe her if she said she hadn't tried to contact him so directly.

In reality, the demigoddess like to think- if only for a second- that the demigod dream's main purpose was to let her know that people still cared about her; that, somehow, Apollo still cherished their friendship, or what had once been a friendship.

But she knew she was just being stupid by thinking that.

Artemis and Hermes hadn't been able to speak much to her, and, because of Zeus and the Fates- and maybe it was even her own fault, and Apollo's too- she wouldn't ever be able to regain the friendship she had with Apollo.

She was smart enough to know and accept that.

 **...**

Her school day passed without any memorable thing happening.

At lunch, she ate alone because Emma skipped school that day for some unknown reason, and she didn't have more friends to be with.

Without her mortal friend to keep her distracted, Percy's mind had no other choice but to destroy itself slowly. Her thoughts were a vicious circle she could not escape.

Between Tartarus, Apollo, Elijah, Asclepius and her SAT's, she was swiftly becoming more stressed than was humanly possible.

The problem was that thinking about Tartarus made her think of Apollo, which obviously made her think of Asclepius, which brought everything about Tartarus back, which made her focus on the new trouble she'd be facing: Elijah and his family, which, somehow, made it go back to Apollo and Tartarus.

It went on and on, over and over again.

She thought that her last two classes, History and English, would be somewhat better, because she actually liked the teachers. But when she arrived at Alaric's classroom, and saw what he had written on the board, her hope died away.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Jackson," Alaric grinned at her when he saw her. "Today's class, as you can see, will focus mostly around the Greeks and their beliefs, so please take a seat, the class will be starting as soon as everyone arrives."

The young demigoddess sighed. "Hi, Alaric." He allowed her to call him by his name since her dyslexia made it hard for her to pronounce his last name correctly.

"You look wasted," Paul raised his eyebrows. In that same moment, Elena Gilbert entered the classroom, followed by Stefan and Bonnie. "Let me guess, Damon?" At the mention of the blue-eyed vampire, the doppelgänger stared at them.

Percy forced herself to hide the amused smirk that threatened to cover her face. Feeling rather mischievous, she said, rather loudly and with a voice full of innuendo, "Oh, you know Damon. He's just so good at...mm, keeping me awake."

Alaric raised his eyebrows, amusement filling his features as he realized what the young girl was doing.

One small glance at the now scowling Elena, and he realized the green-eyed girl was successful at making her jealous.

Then they looked at Stefan, and felt bad about it.

"Hi, Percy," Stefan said quietly.

"Hi, Stef," Percy gave him a sheepish look, knowing that, as much as he tried to hide it, he found himself bothered with the reaction his girlfriend had when it came to Damon. And he, too, knew that Percy was lying as she implied she'd fucked with Damon.

She was impulsive, but she would never, _ever_ , fuck a monster. He was attractive, that much no one could deny, but to go as far as to have a sexual relationship with him? She didn't think she could do it. There had too much monster in him for her to find herself attracted to him in that way.

It would be like trying to fuck a corpse.

And she was not into necrophilia.

"Everybody, please-" Alaric called to attention, beckoning the other students to take their seats. "Let's start, shall we? Yesterday, we discussed a little bit about the origins of our democracy, which brought us to the Greeks. As some of you must know, the Greek civilization originated many of the terms and activities we know use-"

"Will we be talking about Greek Mythology?" Asked a girl Percy could recognize but didn't truly know. "The gods and all that bullshit?"

"Language," Alaric reprimanded, then moved towards the board and draw a familiar name on it.

The name struck like a blow to the head, and Percy forced herself to look away and try to control her erratic heart. The effect had been so instantaneous, she hated herself for being so weak and vulnerable. So pathetic.

" _Kronos_?" The same girl asked. "Why start with him? He was a Titan."

"He was also the father of the Olympian gods. We cannot talk about them without talking about him first."

Alaric started to talk about their story, but Percy couldn't- _wouldn't_ \- listen to it.

She looked away. _Wasn't anyone aware that names had power?_

The girl from before was talking again, "Okay so I know that Rhea fed him a rock instead of baby Zeus and when he grew up Zeus managed to fool him into throwing up the rest of the kids-"

Alaric's words seemed to get louder with every passing second. "Yes, you see, Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach."

"That's disgusting," The girl groaned as the whole room seemed to laugh at that idea, obviously not believing a word about that story.

Alaric merely smiled at their reactions. "The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld-"

Percy stopped breathing.

Flashes of the Underworld passed through her head, almost like the images she saw when Elijah connected their minds together, only that these she was seeing were her own memories.

She saw herself fighting against Hades and his army, fighting alongside Nico, then drowning for the first time in the River Styx. She felt the pain she'd felt while being there as if she were going though that again. The spot she'd selected back then as her Achilles Heel now hurt, which made her gasp silently.

 _She emerged from the deepest part of the river, and saw two people standing side by side at the edge of the river, waiting for her to come out. She took a deep breath, finally able to breathe after seeing Achilles, and watched as they grinned at her; Annabeth, with her Yankees' cap on, which was strange, because she turned invisible when she had it on, and Apollo, with his lyre out, as though ready to sing a song about that new adventure._

 _"Come on, sweetheart," Apollo urged her, his perfect smile making her melt. "Come out of the river."_

 _"You're such a Kelp Head," Annabeth grinned at her. "Don't make us wait."_

"Ms. Jackson?"

Percy blinked back to reality, only to find that the whole classroom had turned to look at her. Alaric's face was full of concern.

"I'm sorry, sir," Percy closed her eyes briefly, moving her hands to cup her own face and hide her shaky breathing.

 _Why had that felt so real_? She could almost taste the horrible flavor those dark waters had.

"You look faint. Do you want to step out for a while? Get some fresh air?" Alaric asked her kindly. "Guys, give her space."

And around her, everyone close to her moved their seats away, giving her space to properly breathe.

Percy was going to accept the offer to leave, but when she looked towards the door, her whole body tensed, her head swimming around. Kronos was there, staring right at her with his harsh eyes and his feral grin, as though he was ready to eat her up in the same way he'd ate his children.

"Percy?" Stefan's voice was also laced with concern. It took her a second to realize he could hear and smell her fear and all those reactions her body was having.

The green-eyed girl shook her head. "It's okay, I'm just a little light-headed..."

"Stefan, take her to see the nurse, please-" Alaric knew Stefan was probably the only person that Percy could trust enough to let him wrap his arms around her and help her out.

Matt Donovan was already on his feet, moving to help Stefan, when Percy shook her head and raised her arms, successfully stopping any of those men from coming anywhere near her.

"Don't," She said, sounding shaken. "I can go alone."

The truth was, she didn't trust herself enough to be safe for any of them while getting trapped in so many flashbacks from the past. _What if she ended having a blackout and killing them?_

"Ms. Jackson-" Alaric sounded worried.

Percy opened her mouth, ready to protest, then she was forcefully sucked into something entirely different from before, and her whole body lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was Kronos' smirk, then nothing else. Tyler Lockwood, who was closest to where she had been standing, managed to catch her before she could hit her head on any of the desks.

Everyone gasped collectively, and Alaric took one step forwards, quick to help his student.

The young, rich boy was careful to take all her weigh upon his arms as he started to walk towards the door. "I'll take her to see the nurse, but I need someone to take her bag..."

Stefan moved to take her bag and follow them, since Percy was a friend, when Elena took hold of his arm and forced him to stay at her side. He frowned down at her, but then the frown was directed at Bonnie, who now had Percy's bag on her hands. The young witch looked ready to empty the bag and examine its content, which made the blonde vampire scowl and take one step forwards.

"Bonnie," Caroline forced herself to sound sweet and kind. "Stay here, Matt and I will take her bag."

The witch's eye flared angrily, but since everyone was looking at her, and Matt was already extending his hand to take the bag, she had no choice but to oblige.

Stefan locked eyes with Caroline as she walked away, and gave her a thankful look, one which the blonde vampire silently returned with a small nod.

"Class dismissed," Alaric called as he, too, moved to exit the room. "Um, homework: write an essay about Kronos and the reason he swallowed his kids." Collective groans filled the room as he moved to the door, only to be stopped.

"Where are you going?" Elena scowled, unable to believe all the chaos that happened just because that girl had fainted.

"Your English teacher is her stepfather," Alaric explained hurriedly, annoyed with the interruption. "He needs to know she fainted." And he was out of the door before the doppelgänger could distract him with more questions.

Elena turned to look at Stefan, who looked upset with her behavior for some strange reason she could not comprehend. She scoffed and started to secure her belongings into her own bag, frowning to herself as she felt her boyfriend's look on her figure.

" _What_?" She finally demanded, looking back at Stefan.

"What is your issue with Percy?" Stefan crossed his arms over his chest. "And don't try to deny it, we both know you despise her."

"Can you blame me?" Elena shot back, copying his posture and crossing her arms. "She's dangerous, Stefan. It's not my problem that now everyone, and I don't even know how, trust her and believe her to be innocent and good and I just-"

"Is this about Damon?" Stefan interrupted her, annoyance crossing his eyes as he stared at her. He had all the answers he needed when she sucked in a breath, eyes wide. He scoffed, and turned to leave.

"How can you trust her?" Elena demanded, making him stop. "None of you knows what she is, only that she's stronger and, somehow, more dangerous. And I just cannot understand how you can welcome her into your house and not fear for your safety-"

"For God's sake, Elena," Stefan was, beyond words, exasperated with the same conversation. "She's our friend."

"How?" Elena insisted, exploding too as she realized nothing she said seemed to enter his mind. "She's different every time I see her! She's got like a million different personalities and all of them seem to be dangerous! One day she's all laugh and she jokes around and she's happy, then the next day she glares at all of you as though you disgust her and-"

"She's human, Elena," Stefan raised his voice. "Her personality isn't written on stone, she has more than just one trait. Of course she's different every day. Humans are different every single fucking day, people change, people grow, she is not a fucking machine-" He took a deep breath, calming himself down. "She's a living being, one that is allowed to change perspectives and to have different moods regarding certain people. If she was always, let's say, harsh towards us, she would be the strangest creature-"

"Why are you defending her?" That was all Elena got, not his words, but the fact that he was defending her.

Stefan sighed deeply, then decided to simply leave.

There was nothing else to say to Elena, once her stubborn mind was made, she wouldn't drop her hatred towards that young green-eyed girl.

"Don't you dare leave me hanging-" Elena snarled.

But he was already out of the room.

And she was alone.

 **...**

"We're making a pregnancy examination," The nurse, an old woman with strict features and a nasty grin, told Paul and Percy, who were sitting together in the crumpled, disgusting couch on the small nurse's office.

That's something else she hated about that public school: the poor health system it had. On her previous private schools, there were real infirmaries with more than one nurse ready to help. That one nurse in Mystic Falls High seemed to be older than the school itself, and she had only one test she wanted her to take: the pregnancy one.

When she said she felt hot, she got a bag of ice and nothing more, the nurse didn't even try to take her temperature to see if she had a fever.

"I'm _not_ pregnant," Percy insisted, for the millionth time that day.

Paul gave her a look, one that told her he wouldn't believe her until the results came back. She groaned, moving to cover her face with her trembling hands.

"The results will come out in a few minutes-" The nurse started to say.

"I am not fucking pregnant!" Percy exploded, begging Paul with her eyes to believe her. "I want to go home, Paul, please-"

"You fainted, Persephone," Paul gritted his teeth. He never used her full name. "We're waiting for this test to be over, and then we'll go home. Understood?"

Percy wanted to scream at him, to tell him he wasn't funny when he tried to be a strict parent with her. Part of her wanted to remind him that it was literally impossible for her to be pregnant, but the way he looked at her made her stay silent.

He looked worried, yes, but he also looked angry and exasperated.

As though he, like the nurse and the whole school- she'd heard whispers from the hallways close to where they were-, honestly believed there was a chance of her being pregnant.

She wanted to cry.

"I'm not pregnant," She said quietly. "You have to believe me."

Paul couldn't meet her eye. He wanted to believe her, he honestly did, but she'd been behaving way too different those last couple of days. He didn't know if it was something on her, or if it was someone else making her change, he didn't know anything. Just that he was concerned about her.

He thought back to all the time she spent with the Salvatore brothers, and with Emma, who had a little brother. It could've been very easy for her to have sex with one of them; and it was all because Sally and him were liberal and let her go wherever she wanted to.

"Sweetheart-" Paul started. _How could he explain that he was worried about her?_ That he knew her, and he was sure she didn't have the maturity enough to be a mother at seventeen.

Percy interrupted him, too angry to care about the noble motives behind his concern. "It's impossible for me to be pregnant. Unless, of fucking course, a gods' semen can last months insides my uterus without creating a fetus-"

 _She didn't use protection?_

Paul focused on the wrong thing about her statement, he turned to look at her with disgust and concern written on his face. "You let Apollo cum inside of you?"

Percy groaned and hid her face between her hands again. "I hate you."

Apollo could never acquire any disease, it was literally impossible for him as a god. When they had sex, they used protection, but only to prevent her from getting pregnant and becoming a teenage mother. The only time they'd fucked- not making love, it was pure sex that day- had been after the second war, when both of them were too lost on each other to remember to use protection; they'd been separated from each other for such a long time that they couldn't care about anything that was not the feeling of each other's body, warm and familiar and welcomed; their love spilling out like an avalanche, blinding them.

Paul froze, not believing what he'd just heard the teenage girl say. "Percy-" He sounded hurt and offended.

Percy tried to swallow the ugly feeling, hating herself for hurting Paul. "No," She said quietly. "This is stupid and unnecessary. I want to go home."

"You're behaving like a child." Paul looked away, hiding the fact that a couple of tears had escaped his eyes. He had a mixture of feelings on him, though the one that predominated was anger.

Percy didn't move for almost an hour, which was shocking, for she usually needed to move around a lot, thanks to her ADHD. She stayed there, with her hands on her face. She didn't want Paul to see the tears that were running down her cheeks, nor the horrible blush that had covered her whole face.

She wanted children, but that was a far-away thought. Something she thought she'd have in the future.

She remembered once, how, after meeting one of Apollo's children, he'd looked at her with adoration and pure love. He really loved his children, even if he claimed he couldn't remember most of their names.

And back then, when everything was perfect between them, they'd thought about having a family together. But it was only that, a thought; something that, deep down, both of them knew would never happen. She was too young, he was too old. She was mortal, he was immortal.

Besides, the moment she'd get pregnant, he'd be forced to leave her.

That was how it worked, that was the main rule. Gods weren't allowed to see their mortal offsprings, which meant they wouldn't ever be together again.

"Five more minutes and it's done," The nurse's voice reached her ears, and Percy felt Paul tense.

Anger filled her senses. _I am not pregnant_. Percy rubbed her hands over her face again. _Why can't they just believe me?_

When the nurse came back with the results, which were obviously negative, a tense silence lingered on the room.

Paul wavered, doubtful as though how to apologize for acting the way he did. Percy waited for a couple of seconds, them scoffed and stormed away from the room. _Of course he wasn't going to apologize._

"Percy-" Paul moved to follow her, only to stop when the nurse told him he had to sign some papers to be able to go home.

When he finally managed to escape from the nurse's office, he looked for Percy everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found.

 **...**

The young demigoddess walked all the way from school to her neighborhood, where, instead of going to her own house, she walked towards the Salvatore's Boarding House. She knew it was just a matter of time before Paul got home, and she didn't want to see him.

She found Damon by the garden, hanging wet clothes on a string connected from one tree to the other. She watched with curiosity, never used to seeing him doing domestic chores.

"Who murdered your puppy?" Damon raised his eyebrows. He didn't need to turn to know she was annoyed, he could feel it on the air.

"Damon, do I look like a whore?"

The question made him scowl. "Um, no?"

He found a pair of women underwear on the bunch of clothes he was hanging, and turned to show them to her, as though saying _I'm the real whore, look what I've got here._

"That's disgusting," She told him, which made him grin and mutter a " _I know"._ Then she raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. "Those are actually cute ones. If you don't know who they belong to, I'd be happy to keep them."

"Now who is disgusting?" Damon laughed, but threw the panties over his shoulder, knowing she'd catch them. "Anyways, why do you ask if you look like a whore?"

She raised her arms as if trying to find an answer to some existential question. He forced himself to hide the amused smile that was trying to cross his face.

"So, for some reason, a girl fainting is an obvious signal of said girl being pregnant. Regardless of the fact that she hasn't had sex in months."

A smirk grew on Damon's face, and Percy just knew she should've stayed quiet. "Is that why you're in a foul mood nearly all the time? You haven't had a good fuck in months?"

Percy rolled her eyes, a gesture she was starting to associate with the icy-eyed vampire. "You can thank my illnesses for my mood changes, not my lack of sexual life."

Damon's playfulness died away. "What do you mean?"

It was then that she remembered she hadn't told him about her conditions just yet. Now that she came to think about it, she realized she'd never talked much about herself with him, apart from the normal things anyone would know, like her favorite color and her least liked movie. But to talk about her own person in a depth level with him, not yet.

She scratched at her neck, almost distractedly. "I have ADHD and dyslexia." Also PTSD.

Damon studied her for a second, then pushed aside whatever he was thinking. He shrugged and turned away, having finished with the clothes, and started to walk towards his garage, knowing that the young girl would follow him.

"So?" Percy asked after a while, following his movements closely as he looked for something on some cupboards close to where he'd parked his car. Mostly, it were mechanic tools, so she ignored everything he did.

"So?" Damon repeated, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You're not going to say anything?"

The vampire straightened and turned to look at her, shrugging exaggeratedly. "About you having ADHD and dyslexia? Not really. It actually explains a lot of things about your personality."

"I'm trying not to feel offended," Percy crossed her arms. "Such as?"

"Such as the fact that your attention span is shorter than my love for humanity," Damon gave her one of his infamous sarcastic looks, one that she had grown to adore. "Like the fact that you repeat something about a million times without realizing it. And the fact that you're either too loud or too quiet, but never both at the same time. You also cannot focus on something even if your life depended on it-"

Percy defended herself, though his voice held no malice as it listed her traits. "ADHD is not an excuse, it's an explanation."

"I know," Damon assured her. "One of my buddies from the Army had ADHD too. His plans weren't the best ones, but we survived."

One of the things about their friendship that she was starting to dislike was the fact that, apart from the conversations they had everyday, they didn't know much of themselves. For example, he did not know that she was dyslexic before that moment, and she never knew he'd been in the Army.

She wanted to get to know him, the real him, not the one he allowed everyone to see. It would've scared her, a couple of months previous to that moment, the thought of getting so close to a monster to actually want to talk about her life with them, but Damon was different from other monsters.

For once, she could read him easily, which meant she pretty much knew how to control him and how to recognize the signs that meant he was about to go into a murderous rampage, and she knew how to stop him.

And, he was her _friend_.

Annoying as he was, she cared about him. Though she was just realizing it, not to mention that she would never admit that to anyone.

"When were you in the Army?" Percy asked, trying to see how he'd react to it.

Damon tilted his head to the side. Through the months they'd know each other, she never showed any interest about his personal life, and so he tried to hide his own curiosity about hers. Her effort now was noticeable, and, joyful, he wondered if that meant she started to trust him a little more.

"I was human when I joined," He answered easily. "During the Civil War- yes, the one they teach you about in History. Before you ask, no, I don't have any memorable memories about it, unless being a prisoner of war counts as one."

The teenage girl moved to sit over an old table full of more mechanical tools. Looking at them made her think of Leo, so she forced herself to concentrate only on the vampire watching her carefully. Once she was comfortable and he started mending his car again, she requested something of him, "Tell me more."

"Alright, goddess-" He cut himself off when he saw her smirking to herself. "What's so funny? Is it the nickname?"

Percy gave him a fond look. "It's a private joke, you wouldn't understand."

"Maybe you could make me understand."

She nodded, a perfect mask falling into place as she hid all the paranoia the thought of being more honest with him made her feel. When she spoke, a playful smile was plastered on her face, and her voice was as sarcastic and mischievous as always.

"Someday," She promised, and the part of her that wanted their friendship to keep growing, held into that promise.

She stayed all the afternoon with Damon, only to leave when Elena and Stefan arrived at the Boarding House.

Damon wanted Percy to stay for dinner, but, truthfully, having the doppelgänger and the daughter of Poseidon in the same room was a _bad_ idea.

So she went home just in time for dinner, which passed by slower than she would've liked. Paul tried to talk with her, but she ignored him and went directly towards her room.

Sally was curious about the whole matter, but didn't ask either of them. She thought they had to work their differences and problems by themselves, she didn't want to get in the middle of them, because Paul was her husband and Percy her daughter. Her loyalties were divided, though part of her was always going to love her daughter more than her husband. So, it wouldn't be fair.

When the demigoddess entered her room, she was quick to collapse against her bed and stare at the ceiling.

It was then, just as she started to go over every event that happened to her that day, that she realized the Original vampire never came back as he said he would.

It was a good thing, because, since other things happened and distracted her, she didn't have time to try to contact Poseidon and ask for his help in getting the other Originals from the ocean.

Somehow, while thinking about everything she still had to do, she fell asleep.

 **...**

 _The green-eyed, dark-haired demigoddess knew where she was before knowing what was happening. She could never forget that place, for multiple reasons, one of them being that it was too breathtakingly beautiful to be so easily forgotten, the other being that it held too many memories- both good and bad ones- for her to be able to delete it out of her memory._

 _Olympus._

 _She walked aimlessly forwards, not knowing where to go but unable to stop walking._

 _Percy remembered the summer she spent up there with the daughter of Athena, helping her re-built what had been lost in the First War; the multiple occasions she slept there, on a bed the size of Mystic Falls, wrapped in the loving embrace of a warm god._

 _"Hello?" Percy found herself calling out._

 _She knew then that she was dreaming, because she always hated when people in movies called out for someone when a place was scarily empty._

 _She passed a couple of Muses- Calliope and Erato- and said, "Hey, girls, I don't understand-"_

 _They were crying their hearts out, and when Percy tried to touch their arms to stop them from walking away, her hand passed through them as if made of air. Panic settled at her stomach, but then she forced herself to remember it was normal in most dreams._

 _A demigod's dream._

 _Another one._

 _"Girls, if you could just tell me why I'm here," Percy called out to Calliope and Erato. As was to be expected, they just cried and continued walking. "...so you can't even see me."_

 _She was having another demigod dream? Two in one day? How?_

 _She immediately thought the worse; the last time she had a demigod dream about Olympus, nothing good happened. She could still close her eyes and see the events of the second war. It was all so fresh, but at the same time..._

 _The same amount of time had passed between the first and the second war. The same amount of months; did that mean another war would rage now? Was it time for another war?_

 _She felt like puking into Hera's plants._

 _Who could be Olympus' enemy now? Kronos and Gaea were pretty much the main antagonist of every massive war, and they were already defeated._

 _Maybe Olympus' next enemy could be a cute bunny, one that could be easily defeated with lots of hugs. That sounded like a war Percy would_ love _to be part of._

 _She forced herself to keep walking. The dream would only end after she saw whatever she was supposed to see, that much was common knowledge._

 _"And here I thought Olympus could never be creepy." Everywhere she went, she was met with an emptiness that was getting on her nerves. Where was everyone? Where was the music, the laugher? The annoyingly handsome deities walking around?_

 _Why were Calliope and Erato crying? Percy knew them- she actually knew the Nine Muses- and they were always happy, always inspiring and bright. What could happen to make them suffer like that?_

 _She crossed one of the hallways that had been destroyed in the First War, the memories that came back were so unbearable she had to turn away and walk in the other direction. Thinking about the First War made her think of Kronos' plan- she always ended up thinking about him- and a new thought settled into her mind._

 _Olympus was the home of the gods._

 _But now it was empty._

 _Kronos had wanted to defeat the gods and empty Olympus for far longer than humanity itself._

 _In the First War, he wanted to destroy the Hall of the Gods. The place where most of their council meetings were held at, the place where their thrones were at. A god's power is connected to their thrones, so destroying their throne was one of the ways to defeat a god-_

 _Percy sucked in a breath. The throne room._

 _She started to run in the direction of the Hall of the Gods, not caring if that was not where she was supposed to be at, nor caring if she missed whatever she was supposed to see and would end up being stuck in Morpheus realm forever. She could only remember what Kronos had attempted to do, what he'd almost managed to do, what it would've caused._

 _That was what would've happened if Kronos destroyed their thrones back in the First War: Olympus, empty and deserted of every deity, and the ones remaining, lonely and suffering._

 _Was that happening then? Was she seeing Olympus' downfall?_

 _When she got to the throne room, her fear evaporated when she saw it in all its glory, no sign of destruction in the most important room of all Olympus. Her knees felt weak for an unknown reason, which made her walk slowly inside the room._

 _It had been so long since she'd been there..._

 _She crossed her father's throne, and smiled a little when she was met with the familiar smell of salt-water and sea-breeze. She was tempted to do what she'd done all those years back, to sit there and have his attention on her. But it wasn't worth it; he wouldn't notice her, it was a dream, she wasn't really there._

 _"Oh, father-" Percy sighed. "I miss you lots."_

 _Somehow, she found herself in front of Apollo's throne. He'd let her sit with him there, one of the times where Zeus wasn't bothered with her presence and had let her stay for one of their usual divine meetings. Poseidon had been reluctant to see them together, but when he saw that they were just together, not doing anything at all, he relaxed._

 _Apollo just wanted to hold her hand through the meeting, - those were so boring, he loved when he could have Percy there to extinguish his boredom- and she'd been pretty silent, scared of messing up and gaining the wrath of twelve powerful gods at the same time._

 _Afterwards, Apollo would tell her that if she just accepted immortality, she'd always have a throne to sit at in those boring council meetings. He made it sound tempting when he said they could make fun of everyone else together in every meeting._

 _And some days, she'd consider it. Immortality sounded quite nice- even when she didn't want it- when it meant being with the person you loved the most forever._

 _Percy groaned and looked away, disgusted with herself. "Love-struck idiots. Pathetic. Hopeless romantics. Fucking idiots..."_

 _But she stayed by his throne for a little while, enjoying the familiar warmth it emanated. His warmth. She closed her eyes and fought against the pain that tried to make its way into her heart._

 _Why did she miss him so much? She was supposed to be over it- and to some extent, she could go a few days, a few hours, a few moments, without thinking about him- but then some days she woke up thinking about him, and ended her day with him still on her mind._

 _And honestly, hearing him speak with his siblings about her, and hearing that he still cared and that he missed her as much as she missed him, didn't help at all._

 _Then she opened her eyes, and a scream caught at her throat._

 _She staggered back, almost falling into Hestia's hearth in the middle of the room. She started to cry- unable to stop the tears from falling not the screams from leaving her mouth._

 _Her father, Poseidon, lay on the nearest throne- which was not his'- mauled and cut into pieces. His head was on the seat, his arms by the floor, his legs on the armchairs. His eyes followed Percy's movement, tears on his own immortal gaze. His mouth had been sewed together, so no words came out of it._

 _Percy fell to the floor, shocked and confused and so overwhelmed she had no idea what to do._

 _Then it got worse when she looked around and found out that the other twelve Olympians were in the same condition that her father was._

 _Ares and Aphrodite, their bodies so mutilated and together no one could ever find out which limb belonged to whom. Dionysus, with one of his feet stuck on his screaming mouth, as if he'd ate himself. Hermes, strangled by his snakes and seemingly green with their venom; it looked as if Martha and George had ate him and then puked him. Athena, decapitated, then stitched together in a way that made no sense; with her head where his right arm was supposed to go, and vice-versa._

 _Apollo, his eyes- his beautiful, gorgeous eyes- laying by the floor, almost in front of Percy's own feet. His face, full of beastly scratches and red marks, empty sockets full of blood where his eyes were supposed to be, his head still glued to his body, but no legs nor arms, those were at the other side of the room. His internal organs were laying in a pool of blood by his abdomen._

 _Seeing him, Percy screamed louder and started to puke, unable to stop herself from emptying her stomach and unable to stop crying._

 _"Percy- Percy-" Apollo's voice was barely audible, but she heard it._

 _The gods were immortal- the realization that every single one of them was alive and conscious in that moment made her want to throw up again._

 _She cried harder. She extended her hands towards him, but couldn't move. She was frozen, covered in her own vomit and lightheaded from the shock._

 _"Help-" Hermes couldn't move his lips, the venom coursing through his body being too strong for him to even blink._

 _Percy's body didn't answer her distressed desires to do something- anything!- to help them. She tried to approach them, but her legs wouldn't hold her weight. She tried to crawl towards them- towards her father, towards her friends- but every time she tried to, an invisible pressure pushed her against the floor._

 _"Don't-" Apollo gagged, they'd even cut his tongue out. "Don't touch her..."_

 _"Percy-" Hermes tried again. He tried to move, to do anything, but could not. "Watch- Watch out."_

 _Poseidon kept making distressed sounds, but no actual words could come through the thick thread tying his lips together._

 _The other gods were too weak to attempt to ask for help, too weak to move. But their eyes, bloody and damaged and some even missing, followed her every move with desperation; making it worse for her to concentrate._

 _Percy screamed and screamed, wearing herself out every time she tried to help them, to move towards them, to run away..._

 _She had to look out for whoever harmed the gods- if it was powerful enough to harm them, it could easily kill her- but the more she tried to stand and do something- even if that something was run away- the more she was pushed into the ground._

 _"Look out!" Apollo and Hermes cried out at the same time, followed by Poseidon making strange, strangled sounds._

 _Percy ducked, which made the person meaning to attack her fall to the floor in front of her. Percy wasted no time and pinned her against the floor, only to stop when that woman turned around and snarled at her._

 _Startled, Percy took several steps back, bumping against one of the god's limbs and falling on her butt._

 _It was like looking into a distorted mirror._

 _She knew that she was seeing herself, but the picture was not quite right._

 _Percy looked at Apollo and Hermes, wondering what was going on; what kind of monster could morph itself to look just like her, to then gag and look away when she was met with the empty socks of her ex-boyfriend and the melting face of the messenger god._

 _"Cat got your tongue?" The girl taunted her._

 _What disturbed Percy the most was how feral she looked; how she grinned with all her teeth and how her eyes were so wide they almost seemed to bounce off her face. It was disturbing to look at, more so when she looked so much like herself._

 _"Who are you?" Percy demanded, though trembling from head to toe. That girl looked so dark, so dangerous. "Don't make me ask twice, introduce yourself."_

 _That girl laughed loudly, a familiar laugh that made Percy's blood run cold. It was a mix of her own laugher, but with a hint of distortion that made her think of those movies where the protagonist was possessed and their voice sounded strange._

 _Was that some kind of demon?_

 _Percy's head could think better now that she wasn't forced to look at the gods anymore, she could think more clearly now that she was staring right back at herself, or someone that looked like her._

 _The girl groaned in disgust. "I can't believe how pathetic I was. Look at you- I can't believe I behaved like that." She was talking as if Percy and her were the same person._

 _A deep sense of fear settled at Percy's stomach and made her feel breathless once again; that couldn't mean..._

 _"Who are you?" Percy breathed out, this time more quietly._

 _The girl raised her hand towards her._

 _And Percy was_ choking _._

 _From her insides to her outsides, choking; on her own internal fluids, on the water that ran through her body, choking unlike ever before._

 _It struck her then, and Percy wasn't sure if she was still choking or if she was simply blacking out, the realization that, since that girl had her powers and her looks, that meant she was not a monster; that was just herself._

 _"This?" The girl laughed. "This is you, in the near future."_

 _"Don't listen to her-" Apollo choked. Percy couldn't look at him, she couldn't look at any god in that room. Had she really done all that? "That's not- that's not true."_

 _"What would our Golden Boy know?" Kronos appeared besides that girl, and then at her other side appeared Gaea. The three of them smiled at Percy in such a way that made her flinch. "Right now he can't even_ see _you."_

 _Percy realized then that it was not a demigod's dream._

 _It was just another nightmare._

 _That place wasn't real, Kronos wasn't real, that girl wasn't real, none of the gods were real._

 _It was hard to convince herself of that when everything_ felt _real._

 _"And our poor daddy-" The girl smirked. "Oh, excuse me, I don't mean Apollo. I mean our actual, biological daddy." Percy looked at Poseidon, an invisible force making it impossible to look away. "We can say he_ lost his head _worrying about you."_

 _"You're not real," Percy said, though it was more for her own benefict than for theirs._

 _"You can say that for as long as you please," The girl gave her an amused look. "It won't change the fact that we're pretty much real, and that, thanks to you, we're getting stronger."_

 _"I love it when you use that tone of voice," Kronos purred, leaning down and capturing her earlobe between his teeth. His hands gripped her hips and pushed her against his chest. "Do it again."_

 _The worse happened when she pushed her ass against his crotch, smirking when he moaned and assaulted her neck with his mouth. Percy started screaming, which made Gaea smirk at her and then join the other two in what they were doing. The old woman started to kiss her on the lips,_ and she was kissing right back.

 _The worse thing was, everything they were doing to her, Percy could feel it as if they were doing it to her own body._

 _She could feel Gaea's tongue exploring her mouth, leaving a path of mud everywhere it touched; she could feel Kronos' erection rubbing against her back, his agitated breathing against her neck._

 _Percy gagged and started choking, though this time it had nothing to do with her powers. She started to scream and cry as loud as she could, but her voice broke every time she tried to._

 _"I'm dying to get out of Tartarus already," Kronos' eyes flared dangerously, and for a long, frightening moment, Percy didn't know if it was Luke or Kronos who was lusting over her. "I can't wait to make you mine."_

 **...**

When Damon Salvatore felt what could only be described as an earthquake, his first instinct was to check on his little brother.

It was a knee-jerk reaction, something he was used to do when they were humans and a phenomenon of the such happened.

So he moved as swiftly as he could towards Stefan's room, never imaging how hard it was going to be to move around; that was quite a powerful earthquake.

He wished he'd stayed in his room when he saw Stefan hugging the naked figure of Elena Gilbert, who was wide eyed and apparently very scared of what was happening.

"What-" Stefan started, quickly covering the body of his girlfriend as swiftly as he could with all the movement around.

"Earthquake," Damon told the happy couple, grinning sarcastically at them. The books in Stefan's bookshelf started to fall to the floor. "In case you didn't notice."

Before Stefan could make a remark about his observation skills, they heard a scream pierce the air in the distance.

Both looked at each other before Damon used his inhuman velocity to gaze out the window. Stefan tried to do the same, but Elena wouldn't let him move from her side.

"This is the longest earthquake I've ever felt," Stefan called out, the movement and the friction were so strong he could barely hear a word he said. The earth made a sound as it moved, which was normally rarely ever heard, but that day it was as loud as could be.

Damon looked towards the only house close to his own, the Jackson's residence, only to find out it was shaking harder than the rest of the place, and that the screams were coming from there.

"The screaming comes from my girl's house," Damon scowled, wondering if that meant any of them was hurt. "I'm going to check on her-"

"This is not normal," Elena whimpered, interrupting him, "Earthquakes are not supposed to last this long. Please don't go."

She was ignored; who could take her seriously when she was naked on Stefan's arms yet asking Damon to stay in the house with them?

"Percy might need my help," Damon looked at Stefan, his glacial-blue eyes filled with concern. His brother scoffed, and Damon was forced to roll his eyes. "Alright, never mind."

Stefan chuckled a little. "Remember how she punched you when you opened that jar for her? She called you sexist and said she could've opened it herself."

"She gave me a speech about feminism and how girls can do pretty much everything a man does. Not sure what it had to do with me opening a jar for her," Damon smirked bemusedly.

Another scream pierced the air, making his amusement die away.

"Do you think she's hurt?" Stefan frowned in concern.

Damon groaned. "If I go check on her and she's fine, she's going to bite my head off. You know she hates to feel weak."

"Maybe she's just scared," Elena gritted her teeth. "Anyone would be terrified of this thing-"

"Not Percy," Stefan and Damon answered at the same time. "Sometimes I think she's not scared of anything."

Elena scowled at them. "You two have gotten really close to her, huh?-" She swallowed the bittersweet lump on her throat, looking at Damon instead of Stefan when she asked, "So now you like her?"

Damon gave her a look, and said, "Ask me that when you're not naked and on my brother's bed,", which made her blush and look away abashedly. Stefan pursed his lips and also looked away.

"She might need help-" Stefan started to say. "Remember Sally's pregnant, she could be hurt-"

Damon didn't need to hear more, he was already on the street before Stefan had finished talking. He'd never been invited inside their house, so he couldn't enter and check on them, so he jumped on a tree close to Percy's window, and peaked inside.

He saw the most disturbing thing he'd seen in a long time.

Percy was trashing against her bed, screaming with her eyes closed and tears running down her cheeks, almost like a possessed girl or someone having an epileptic episode. Her mother and stepfather were holding her back against the bed while screaming at her to wake up.

… _Wake up?_

Damon narrowed his eyes and forced his hearing to improve.

"Percy, please-" Sally was crying, that much he could notice. "Please, wake up-!"

"Sweetheart," Paul was using a soft voice that was meant to calm her down. "Please, you need to wake up. Percy-"

 _How could anyone sleep through that thing_? It was hard to even _think_ with all that movement.

The house shook harder than before, in sync with the new scream that came from Percy's lips, almost as if the earth moving had to do with her.

Sally looked at Paul, tears of desperation running down her cheeks. "We need to wake her up before it gets worse."

"I-I have an idea," Paul swallowed. "Though it might make it worse..."

"I don't care," Sally breathed out. "We have to try everything. She needs to wake up before her earthquake destroys the whole town."

 _What_? Damon lost balance for a second, then steadied himself in time to see how Paul took her in arms and then lowered herself into a small fountain on the room. _Her earthquake_?

The vampire jumped from the tree to the window, wanting to see more closely what was happening. _Was Percy causing the earthquake?_

Percy gasped when her skin touched the water, but her eyes flew open; though her screams didn't die down. Sally quickly grabbed her face between her hands and tried to calm her down.

"Percy, dear, look at me-" Sally cooed. "Look at me. You're safe, you're home."

"You're safe," Paul repeated, drawing circles all over her back. She stopped screaming, though she kept whimpering. "Please, dear, breathe, you're turning blue."

Percy breathed deeply.

"You're safe," Sally repeated. "You're home. You're safe. We're here with you."

The earth stopped shaking as suddenly as it had started.

For a moment, no one moved.

It took the young green-eyed girl a moment to orientate herself and realize where she was; but a short second to realize what she'd done.

Percy started to cry quietly, body trembling with her silent sobs. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Sally and Paul steadied themselves before sharing a look and taking Percy on their arms, hugging her as she cried and trembled against them. Damon had never seen the young girl look as frightened and shaken as she did in that moment; it was as if he were seeing a completely different person from the strong girl he knew.

It was bizarre.

Damon jumped off the window and into the garden. The small trail he had to walk to get to his house felt like the longest of trips, though in reality it was just a minute or two. He didn't even use his inhuman velocity, he walked like a mortal might walk after discovering something shocking.

He couldn't stop thinking about what he saw.

He stopped when he got to the porch of the Boarding House, and looked back until his eyes met the Jackson residence in the distance. The screaming had stopped, as had the desperate shouts of Percy's parents, but if he strained his hearing enough, he could still hear her soft sobs, he could hear her apologizing over and over again for losing control like that.

For causing an earthquake.

She had caused the earthquake, he could hear her regret.

Worse than everything, if he tried really hard, he could smell her fear. The chemicals that her body produced when frightened were so strong that he, in the other side of the street, almost inside his own house, could smell it if he just tried to.

Damon closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the door, a feeling of impotence eating away at his stomach. That teenage girl, that kid, was his friend. Seeing her in pain was destroying him; more so when he was sure she would never mention anything of the such to him.

Percy would never let him help her, she would never confide in him enough to share her fears with him.

He could never know what was bothering her.

He had never, not even when he realized the love of his life never truly loved him, felt worse than he did in that moment.

"Damon?" Elena was standing in front of him. "Are you okay?" Her voice was so kind, she looked really concerned.

For a split second, Damon wanted to believe her concern had a deeper, more romantic, meaning to it. He was tempted to close the distance between them and crash their lips together for what could be the greatest kiss of his whole life, a kiss that would compete against the Big Bang itself from how glorious and overpowering it was going to be. A kiss that would ignite his damned soul and set fire to his insides and outsides. But then he remembered he'd seen her naked and on his brother's bed countless times before, he remembered she told him she could never love him, he remembered how much she claimed to love Stefan.

He told her to go home.

"What?" Elena blinked, started by his request. She waited for him to say something else- to ask her to stay, Damon realized- but then the silence stretched and stretched until the only remaining sound between them was the sound of a soft breeze passing through the trees, and the never ending sound of Percy's sobs.

Damon couldn't get that sound off his head, even when he was sure she'd stopped crying already, the sound of her pain was stuck in his brain like a virus; it didn't stop, it was like a broken record that wouldn't stop repeating the same depressing verse of the same depressing music, over and over and _over_ again.

"Go home, Elena," Damon closed the distance between them, not to kiss her, but to enter the house and maybe get a drink or two on his system before going to bed.

The young doppelgänger stared at him, taking in the way he looked almost off.

Not in the usual way- he didn't look like he'd killed someone or like he ached to kill someone-, he looked strange in a new way that she had never imagined in him.

"Are you okay?" She insisted.

Damon closed the door almost on her face. She blinked and scoffed in disbelief. He didn't ask her to stay? What was wrong with him?

Elena pondered on that question for a long time, - _what was wrong with Damon? Didn't he trust her?-_ while walking down the porch steps and towards her car. Once inside, she locked the doors and ignited the motor, accidentally looking the wrong way as she put her seat-belt on, and staring right at the house next door. _Percy's house._

She gritted her teeth and angrily stepped on the gas pedal, wanting to put as much distance between anything related to that girl and herself as was humanly possible. Whatever was happening to Damon, it had to with that new girl, Elena was sure about it.

 _New girl_. It annoyed Elena how much attention she was still receiving from everyone in school. She wasn't new anymore, she'd lived in town for two months now, yet people still lingered on her, as if she would always be the new girl.

It made her angry that no one doubted her anymore. Damon and Stefan were now, apparently, very close to her. And every time she tried to talk to Alaric about it, the older man quickly steered the conversation away from its original topic, as if he didn't share her thoughts on the matter.

Bonnie ignored her as much as she could, though occasionally the doppelgänger would see her sending glares in the other girl's direction.

Elena just didn't get it.

 _How could they forget so easily how dangerous she was?_ She was immune to Bonnie's powers and she was stronger than Damon and Stefan. A girl like that was not normal _. Didn't they realize Percy could be a_ _treat_ _to her? Didn't they care about her well-being anymore_?


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** _Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, and Trials of Apollo don't belong to me. Neither does the Vampire Diaries & The Originals. _

_English is not my native language, so I apologize for the mistakes I might have._

 **...**

 **Chapter 14**

 **...**

Sally and Paul were having breakfast together in silence, both of them wearing exact same masks of exhaustion, both having pronounced dark bags under their eyes. Their hands were locked, but none of them felt energetic enough to truly acknowledge each other's presence.

There was the inevitable truth that made them stay silent: they didn't know how to address everything that happened the previous night.

None of them knew how to reach the inevitable matter that was their daughter's health.

It wasn't easy to talk after witnessing their little girl being so desperate and so pained that she caused an earthly phenomenon.

"I think it's time for us to leave," Paul was the first to break the tense silence. His wife was staring at him, not blinking, attentively listening to his words, which somehow made it harder for him to express his thoughts.

"I know," Sally answered quietly, finally looking away.

"I think-" He hesitated, putting his cup of coffee down, the empty sound it make against the glass table making them both wince. "I think we should be closer to Camp, like we were before."

She knew he was right, but they'd just gotten Percy back after being without her for nine months, and she also knew that the moment her daughter stepped into Camp- or even into New York, in general- the gods would find a way to involve her in their schemes.

That was how it was always done.

It was _always_ her daughter, always the daughter of Poseidon.

She didn't want to lose Percy again after just having started to make up for the months they lost.

"You don't like the idea." Paul broke the silence once again, knowing enough about the woman he loved to recognize the worry etched into her relatively young face.

"I wanted my daughter to be away from-"

He waited for her to finish the sentence even when he knew what she wanted to say. _Away from the gods._

She didn't finish her statement, simply choosing to look away and to act as though everything was fine, something she did quite a lot.

Paul leaned towards Sally, gently taking her hands on his own, leaving soft caresses and gentle kisses on her knuckles, trying to make her feel better; somehow he could sense her distress even when her face was a perfect mask of blankness.

"It's part of her," Paul said at last, hesitating as he did so, not knowing if those words would offend her. "They _are_ part of her, Sally. She could never be fully away from them-"

"I know that," Sally snapped, moving her hands away from his, for she had known and accepted that for long before Percy was even born; she'd accepted that unknown world and the fact that her daughter would be part of it ever since meeting and falling in love with Poseidon, ever since she'd gotten pregnant with a child that was never meant to exist.

But things _had_ changed, her daughter had suffered too much, and if her safety and her happiness depended on trying to extinguish that part of her that was tied to the gods and their mess, that's what Sally wanted to do.

She didn't stop to think, not once, that Percy would never want to extinguish that part of her.

She wasn't thinking at all, Sally's understanding nature had reached an explosive and violent end, she could no longer be comprehensible about the gods and their actions when said actions had caused her daughter so much damage.

"We don't have money to move," Paul added as an afterthought. "We invested all we had on this house." He thought for a few moments, then added, "We could go to Montauk for a week."

"That won't help in any way." Sally gave him an exasperated look, a nerve breaking inside of her at that suggestion.

"What's wrong with my idea?" Paul questioned, smiling a little as his excitement started to grow.

It was one of the few places that his family- Percy and Sally- had gone to that he hadn't. He was constantly hearing from them that it was a wonderful place, he knew they loved the little cabin they always rented, and that they loved the water, even when it was too cold to swim in.

He continued when his wife ignored his question. "I think it would do her good to be somewhere familiar, somewhere she loves-"

Sally cut him off, a little harshly. "I don't think Percy still likes the things she used to love, Paul."

Paul let the matter drop after that.

And silence reigned in the room.

Only that now, it was tense _between_ them.

Paul knew Sally's hesitation to go there had more to do with her own story with Poseidon than she would ever dare to admit.

There was always an excuse not to go to Montauk together as a family. Whereas it was lack of money, or that he had offered his idea during her unfortunate time of the month as a woman, and now the fact that Percy had changed and didn't like the same things anymore, there was _always_ an excuse not to go there.

In a way, he understood her reasoning, because, _who would like to take their current husband to the place they fell in love and conceived a child with their first love?_

What really angered him- and had angered him for a long time- was the knowledge that, deep down, Sally had lied to everyone about her relationship with the Greek god.

Paul drained his cup of coffee in one long gulp, then raised from his place at the table, and left the room without another word towards his wife.

He loved them both- Sally and Percy- with all his heart and all of his devotion, but, sometimes, he felt suffocated by their world, though it was mainly their lies and their numerous secrets that overwhelmed him.

"I love you."

Paul halted on his steps for a moment. "I know." He assured her, then, after a small pause, he added, "And I love you, too."

Sally swallowed down the thick lump that had settled on her throat as she heard him leave the room, somehow imagining what was going through his mind, and feeling awful over her own actions and how it seemed to affect him.

As Paul was reaching the staircase, he found himself looking back towards the vast kitchen and locking eyes with Sally, who was watching him with raw emotion on her eyes, one of her hands thrown over her stomach, where their unborn child lay.

And there, watching her, he wondered how it was possible for a woman to hold so many secrets within without turning into one herself.

He'd been trying to approach the subject for a long time, but he never found the strength to do so. Every time he'd been about to talk about the matter- like that morning- fear would settle upon his body, and he would push those doubts back where they belonged, hidden away with the rest of his thoughts. It could shatter their whole relationship, or at least, damage it deeply. That was something he _never_ wanted; he was extremely happy with Sally, and they'd worked very hard to build a good life together.

They had _everything_ they needed to survive: they had a good house in a friendly neighborhood, they had stable jobs, they were expecting a baby...

Paul wouldn't just throw that away just because he had _doubts_. Just because there were things about her past that didn't make much sense.

Like the fact that Sally mentioned that she'd been with Poseidon for only one summer, but if that was the case, _how was it possible that Percy's birthday was in August?_

Sally might've seen something cross through her husband's eyes, because she looked away, her shoulders tense, as though she'd read his mind, and so Paul was forced to simply stare for a second at the back of her head, an uneasy feeling settling on his chest and refusing to leave.

 _Was their life enough?_

Poseidon had promised her a life of luxury: a kingdom by the sea full of servants to please her in everything she could ever need. The life of a Queen.

 _Was she disappointed now_? Paul could only offer her a suburban life, and all of his love.

 _Was it enough?_

 _Was their love enough?_

Then he shook his head, swallowing down everything he wanted to say and every single doubt that crowed his mind, and simply continued his way upstairs.

Some things were better left unsaid.

He passed through Percy's open door, and hesitated for a second. She was asleep, after crying for what seemed to be the whole night, she had fallen unconscious into what seemed to be a peaceful slumber, which she deserved after the terrible nightmare that overwhelmed her senses and made her shake the earth.

Paul watched her for a moment, then convinced himself that she was fine, and moved away, leaving her door open in case she woke up and needed anything.

He prepared himself for work within fifteen minutes, and as he was passing through the hallway, he stopped before Percy's room- wanting to see if she was still asleep and that she was _safe_ \- only to find that the bed was empty.

Panic took hold of his body for one moment.

He strained his hearing to hear if his stepdaughter was downstairs with her mother, but the only sound that came from downstairs was the sound of Sally washing the dishes.

His heart hammered against his chest, and he found himself barging into the room, looking in the closet and everywhere she could be hidden at, but she was not there.

He barged into the bathroom, but it was empty.

He checked the music room, and Sally's studio.

Then he went to the staircase. He stood at the top of it for a moment, breathing hard as he tried to convince himself that everything was normal and fine, that his stepdaughter was somewhere on the house, that she was _safe_.

Percy couldn't have disappeared again, it was not possible, not so soon.

Paul made so much sound coming downstairs that when he entered the kitchen, Sally was already looking back at him with confusion written on her face. When he saw that she wasn't in the kitchen with Sally, he went back and scanned the living room, his limbs trempling, his face pale.

 _Where was Percy?_

"What's wrong?" Sally followed him around, concerned. The first initial thought the young woman had was that he'd seen a monster. He couldn't see through the Mist in the same way that she could, but he could catch small glimpses of unnatural things most of the time.

Paul went outside, looked through the porch and the garden in the distance.

At last, he turned to face his wife, and the fear written on his face only aggravated the building concern that the young woman was feeling.

Swallowing thickly, he found the courage he needed to mutter those simple, but familiar word's that had, once, destroyed them completely. "I can't find Percy."

The same fear they had felt only a couple of months before was coming back to them in full strength.

Sally didn't waste a second. She started to scream, "Percy!" as she helped her husband look around the garden and the garage, and then they dared to venture a little into the woods behind their house, but the path that lead to it was clear and empty of footprints, which let them know that she hadn't been around there.

For a moment, they stared at each other, standing in the middle of the garden.

Realization seemed to hit them at the same time. Percy wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere near their house.

 _Percy wasn't there._

With a sharp intake of panicked breath, they bolted back into the house. As Paul moved towards the landline phone to call Percy's friends in town, Sally went upstairs to make sure her daughter wasn't there.

Paul called Emma first.

The girl had already gone out to school, so her mother answered the call. Mrs. Darcy claimed she had never met her daughter's friend, and then when she seemed to realize the reason for Paul's anxious call, pity took hold of her as she assured them she would tell them if she heard anything about her.

Paul looked through the small notebook where he'd written the names and numbers of Percy's friends, but was forced to look up when he heard someone coming downstairs. _Could it be Percy?_ He breathed a sigh of relief, _perhaps they had overreaced, perhaps she was in the house..._

His hope died away when he saw that it was just his wife. His eyes shot down to the notebook again, trying to see who else to call.

Sally was starting to hyperventilate, which might've been bad for the baby, but neither of them could think about anything that was not their missing daughter. The blue-eyed woman approached her husband, reading over his shoulder the list of contacts written on the notebook, but none of them seemed useful, they were all of Percy's friends from Manhattan; from Camp Half-Blood and from Camp Jupiter.

There were only two persons with whom Percy had grown close to in Mystic Falls.

"Emma-?"

"She's not there."

"Damon?"

Paul moved towards the nearest window, the one in the living room, moved the curtains aside, and strained his sight to stare at the Salvatore's Boarding House. As far as he could see, the house was empty; all its lights were off.

"Nobody's home."

There was a small pause full of tension.

Sally and Paul had hoped that their daughter would be with the Salvatore brothers, for that would've meant she was close to them and safe from any dangers, that she had gone out on her own, that she was not kidnapped.

"I'm going to call Chiron."

"What for?" Paul snapped, his anxiety getting the best of him. He turned and met his wife's annoyed glance, a scoff leaving his mouth as he said, "She can't be in Camp Half-Blood already. She was here _five minutes ago."_

"I'm trying to find my daughter!" Sally snapped, annoyed by his tone of voice and terribly worried about the whole situation. "Forgive me if I don't recall how much time has passed since we last saw her here."

Through her mind, memories of the past nine months spiraled wildly, filling her whole self with an immense amount of dread, worry and fear. The last time their daughter had disappeared in that way, without leaving any trace behind, they hadn't seen her in almost a year.

Sally wasn't sure what she'd do if her daughter went missing again.

She wasn't sure she could stand another nine months without her.

She'd spent those months wondering if her daughter was still alive, hoping to the gods that Poseidon would protect their daughter, wherever she was. But something must've happened during those months she was gone, because the Percy that came back to them wasn't the same they'd known and loved.

Sally liked to pretend that she didn't notice, but she knew her daughter wasn't as fine as she claimed she was.

They never knew the precise details about the war; they never knew what she had to go through those months Hera had her, they never knew what she'd gone through in the war...

They only knew the little things Percy dared to mention about the war, and the details Chiron had given them, which were as simple and short as the ones Percy mentioned. The war was won; Gaea was put to sleep again by three integrates of the Seven of the Prophecy, the Greeks and the Roman demigods are now at peace with one another.

That was it.

They didn't know anything about the multiple missions they were given all the time, they didn't know about the suicidal quests they were forced to follow through...they didn't know about Tartarus.

Percy kept everything inside of her, locked deep within herself, and never dared to open up.

Sally had noticed those things- _what kind of mother wouldn't notice their daughter was suffering?_ \- though she never said anything.

Percy used to tell her everything, even the bad parts about her quests, and the fact that she had stopped trusting her bothered Sally more than she would've liked to admit.

Though, it also worried her. _What if her daughter's hesitation to talk about what happened was because she feared Sally's reaction? Because she didn't want to hurt her?_ Sally couldn't bear the thought of it. Her daughter was supposed to _trust_ her, no matter what.

Sally wondered- those times where she saw Percy forcing herself to be playful- if Percy always held a storm inside of her and she'd never noticed, or if something happened during those blank months that turned her into one.

Before disappearing, Percy had been happy.

There was no other word that could describe in full capacity the girl she used to be; she was playful, joyous, bright. Full of life and hope and so, so much happiness.

She had been like a lazy ocean anyone could get lost in, one that was soft in the way its waves crashed against the shore, creating beautiful patterns in the sand that would be erased constantly by new waves, the one that rocked people back and forth, calming their nerves and gently massaging their bodies with the soothing rhythm of its waves, the one that everyone loved, the one that no one ever feared.

That had been the ocean Sally had fallen in love with, once. That had been the ocean Sally had been happy to see living inside of her daughter.

But then everything changed.

Percy disappeared.

And when she came back, it was like meeting an ocean before a thunderous storm approached; still and quiet; about to drag you to the bottom of the ocean with a single, powerful and unexpected wave.

The playful attitude that characterized her for so long was gone. Everything about her was new, the pain that now lived on her sea-green eyes was so fresh and so raw, that there were times in which Sally couldn't make herself gaze upon them.

Her daughter had been hurt in the war against Gaea, in ways that Sally might never get to know or understand. She did not know what to do with that knowledge. _What was she supposed to do after realizing that her daughter was hurt, but that there was nothing she could do about it?_

"I just- Sally choked on her words, only then noticing that she was crying. "I don't think I can see her like this anymore."

Paul grabbed Sally's elbow and forced her into a hug, where she melted against his arms and started to weep.

It seemed like it had been forever since they'd held each other like that, and only then did she realize how much she missed the comfort he offered her.

"Everything will be all right, you'll see," Paul meant to sooth her nerves by saying that, but it came out more like something he wanted to reassure himself with, too. "We'll find her."

"I don't want her to disappear again," Sally admitted, the words coming out of her lips without her permission. She had never dared to voice her thoughts in such a way. "I fear I might not recognize her when she comes back."

Paul tightened the hug.

He could understand what she meant, there were times in which he didn't recognize the young girl that lived with them.

Everything about her was new and startling; the episodes of rage, the natural phenomenons she seemed to be causing, the nightmares...She hadn't been that affected after the war against Kronos.

It made him wonder if they had made a mistake when they took her away from Camp and moved her Virginia. After the war with Kronos, Percy'd stayed in Camp for a long time, she'd been surrounded by the people she loved and the people that made her feel safe...

Percy had been _well_ after the first war.

She'd mourned her fellow campers that perished fighting, but it never seemed to affect her much. She never changed much after that war, or at least, not that they noticed.

He couldn't help but wonder if Percy was more affected after the war with Gaea because she didn't have the support of her friends and her family from Camp after it ended, or if the war had actually been harder than the first one.

He could never know, it could be both reasons, it could be none.

Either way, Paul felt guilty.

They shouldn't have moved so drastically and unnecessarily. New York had everything that was once familiar and comforting for the demigoddess.

Paul realized they never should've made her move so far from her safe-space. It had been her decision, but they never gave her much choice in the matter. After being separated from them for many months, it was obvious that Percy would choose to be with them, even if it meant moving away and turning the comfort and help that Camp offered her.

His thoughts halted to a stop when Sally separated from him.

His eyes trailed over her face, seeing how she moved one hand over her eyes and cheeks, cleaning the remaining tears away. He saw how she forced herself to be strong, successfully pushing her distress down and trying to keep a clear mind.

In that way, Sally and Percy were more alike than they knew.

They both liked to push their feelings away.

"What if she was taken?" Sally voiced their main fear.

The look that crossed Paul's face made her swallowed thickly, realizing that he also shared that concern.

She was going to say a name, then remembered most of the gods' attention was easily caught after saying their name out-loud. "The Queen of the gods-"

" _She_ couldn't have taken her again," Paul said, trying to convince himself. "And if she did, hell be damned, I will get our daughter back."

Paul's words were brave and heroic, but they knew better than anyone that they were also empty words.

As mortals, neither of them could go against a deity. If their daughter had indeed been kidnapped by a god or a goddess, there was nothing they could do.

Paul looked towards the door, wondering where to start looking.

Sally, on the other hand, stared hard at the photographs she'd placed upon the walls close to them. All of them were of happy times, most of them from before Percy knew she was a demigoddess; like the one from Halloween when she'd been four years old. There, a small girl with messy black hair pulled back into a braid smiled a toothless smile at the camera, her _Little Mermaid_ costume bright against the dark couch she was sitting at.

Sally's heart felt heavier than before, her whole body filling with melancholy over one of the happiest memories she could recall.

That Halloween, her former husband, Gabe, had passed out from excessive drinking, which allowed the small demigoddess and her mother to enjoy the few candy they'd collected without any inconvenience.

They'd never felt more lucky than in that moment.

When Gabe had woken up, they had already eaten all the candy, and he'd been so hungover that he hadn't cared.

"Come on," Paul's grip on her elbow forced her out of her memories, and forced her to follow him outside. "Let's check the forest again."

Sally tried to picture her next child- wondered if the baby would be as adorable as Percy had been in her childhood- and, without realizing what she was thinking, the young woman found herself praying to the gods.

 _Please, allow my second baby have a better life than the one my Persephone has. This baby deserves better._

 **...**

The daughter of Poseidon woke up to the feeling of something gently scratching against her cheeks.

She knew something was wrong when that wasn't enough to wake her up completely. A small part of her, the one that was most conscious in that moment, knew she should've woken up immediately after feeling something strange against her face. The most important thing about a demigod was its ability to react quickly.

There was a deep ache etched into her bones, one that left her breathless for a moment, and kept her from reacting immediately.

She tried to move, but an intense feeling of dizziness hit her, and she refrained herself from trying once more.

Her whole face felt warm- a heat that was horribly uncomfortable.

She opened her eyes in a slow way, needing to shield herself from the blasting brightness she was instantly met with.

Then, with what seemed like an internal jump, she regained her senses completely.

The pain ceased a little, enough for her to open her eyes again, blinking slowly to shield her eyes.

The first thing she noticed was that she was staring right at the sky. More precisely, at the sun. She tried to look somewhere that wouldn't hurt her eyesight, but it was a bright day, the sky was strikingly blue and bright. Even the clouds seemed too white to look at. She closed her eyes for another second, taking in the fact that she was outdoors, something that was strange, considering that she was sure she had fallen asleep inside of her house.

 _What was she doing outside?_

A sense of dread filled her senses.

The pain on her bones made it hard to move, so for a moment she did not.

She tried to trace the outlines of the skies with her eyes, trying to find something familiar that would tell her where she was, but she had only learned to do so at night. The stars were good help, but the only star she saw in that moment was the sun, and that didn't help her in any way.

Something scratched at her cheeks again, for which she moved her hands to grasp what it was. Once she had carefully taken it with her hands, she held it in front of her, straining her eyesight to fight against the brightness and to concentrate on it.

Her heart dropped when she finally saw what had bothered her, and she found herself making a pained sound.

It was her necklace. Her Camp Half-Blood necklace.

It was broken, but at least it wasn't lost.

All the beads were there- she counted them- and the charm Apollo had given her was also there.

A familiar sound echoed through the place, the sound of a wave hitting against the shore.

Percy was so startled that her grip on the necklace wavered a little.

She couldn't recall anything since the previous night and the earthquake, which she didn't want to think about in that moment, and her main concern was that someone- monster or deity- had taken her in that moment of vulnerability.

However concerned she was, fear was not one of her main emotions in that moment.

She should've been frightened upon waking up in an unknown place, but it had happened far too often before, and the was something about the place she was that made it impossible for her to feel fear.

She found herself _hoping_ to be at a beach.

The water could soothe her aching limbs, and help her in whatever battle she would be facing.

She inhaled, noticing the familiar and comforting smell of salt lingering on the air.

Feeling hopeful now, Percy tried to move, starting with her legs. She moved her ankles, wincing when they protested against her moves, and then she tried to move her arms, which also protested, but obeyed her commands. Through all the pain on her bones, nothing felt broken.

That was a good signal. If she had been taken but kept alive and healthy, it meant they weren't thinking about harming her.

Her fingers felt the ground that held her, sand dripping from her fingers like liquid gold, and then, just by feeling the small drops of waters mixed with the sand, she knew exactly where she was.

She had been there before, with Annabeth.

Percy forced herself to raise into a sitting position.

Groaning her way through the process, she breathed hard when the pain seemed to crush her lungs. The pain was so strong that, for a moment, she was forced to close her eyes and raise a hand to her chest, forcing herself to keep breathing and to not cry.

It took her a few minutes, but she managed to open her eyes again.

She was met with a heart-wrenching sight.

The shore was red with blood, multiple dead fishes floating on the water.

Before she could see more, a miserable whimper echoed through the air, the sound being both familiar and horrible.

Percy found herself standing on her feet and walking towards the tragedy, part of her unable to ignore such a gruesome sight, the other part of her thinking about helping whatever creature was in pain.

When she approached enough to see what was hurt, her heart stopped. A _Hippocampi_. It was laying on the shore, one big hole of missing skin where its heart was supposed to be. The heart was still inside it's body, that much was painfully obvious, but it was falling off, as were some other internal organs.

It was a horrible sight, and the young demigoddess almost emptied her stomach right there after seeing that.

"Oh my gods-" Percy was quick to approach, ignoring her own pain and her feat at seeing that, thinking only about helping those beautiful creatures. "What happened to you?"

But the _hippocampi_ screeched when she did as much as take one step towards it, a sound that pierced her soul and made her want to cry from frustration.

She hated seeing animals hurt, more so when it was a sea animal and she could communicate with them.

Their mind was a clouded mess of pain. There were just screams and shouts of pain, of fear, but no coherent words that Percy could use to discover what had happened to them.

She came near it, and the _hippocampi_ screeched again.

"I just want to help you-" But when Percy raised her arms, trying to show the hippocampi she came with good intentions, her heart stopped.

There was blood everywhere. Her fingers, her elbows, her clothes.

One of her nails had a piece of skin stuck in it, and something inside of her seemed to break, for she took one step back, staggering, and found herself unable to move; all she could do was watch the fear written all around the _Hippocampus_ and its thoughts; now it was clear why the beautiful creature didn't want her around, through the shouts of pain its mind was making, Percy could hear how the Hippocampus remembered her attack on it...on _them_.

Her head snapped to the right, hearing more shuddering cries.

There were more of those creatures, all of them in the same horrible state of suffering.

Their minds were a heart-wrenching chorus of agony, a chorus that invaded Percy's own mind and refused to leave, making her stagger back when it became too much for her to bear. She threw her hands over her ears, trying to shut them out, but it was to no avail, she could still hear them perfectly well.

Together, they started to drift into Thanatos' arms, as though being connected with one another.

Their voices faded away with the wind.

The last of the _hippocampi_ gave one last shuddering cry that pierced Percy's soul and left her wanting to throw up and cry at the same time; then it was gone.

Percy stood there, unable to move.

It happened again, her blackouts. She couldn't breathe properly, her heart becoming an erratic mess.

 _How could it happen again?_

She knew what had triggered her to kill Mason- he'd hurt her best friend, and even what had made her attack that girl from cabin 5- she'd laughed at the thought of being able to kill Frank just by lighting a stick on fire-, but the _Hippocampus_ race had never done anything to her, they trusted her, they saw her as their boss.

 _Why had she attacked them?_

She couldn't understand, nothing made sense. She'd been on her house, after having a breakdown and causing an earthquake, and the next thing she knew, she was there, on that beach, with innocent's blood on her hands.

Percy forced herself to breathe, a panic attack starting to take hold of her body.

Out of a knee-jerk reaction, she took several steps back, but no matter how hard she tried to separate herself from the massacre, there was no way of hiding from her own self.

She looked towards the horizon, something that used to soothe her nerves, but it only made everything worse when she caught a glimpse of multiple dead fishes floating on the surface.

She wondered if she'd caused their death, too.

"Do not blame yourself for everything. You did not cause their death," A voice explained patiently. "The weather controls the sea, no matter how much our father claims to have full control over it. There's a storm coming, you see? It caused the waves to become too violent for the fish to swim in, thus causing their death."

There was a man on the beach, standing close to the demigoddess. The similitude between them were so many that, if anyone saw them together, they would believe them to be twins. His hair was long, and pulled back into a high ponytail, while hers was shoulder-length, and always down. Another thing that distinguished them was their skin: the demigoddess was sun kissed, while the god was aggressively pale.

"And is the storm a result of my actions?" Percy decided not to question his presence there. There were about a million things she was worrying about, the unexpected visit from her immortal brother seemed to be the least of her problems.

Triton raised an eyebrow, turning sideways to meet the gaze of the demigoddess. He looked so much like their father that Percy was forced to look away after a moment, feeling her stomach drop unpleasantly.

 _What would her father think of her now that she had attacked animals from his domain_?

"Why would it be a result of your actions?" The god questioned, a small hint of interest on his voice. When the demigoddess didn't answer, realization crossed his features. "I do hope you remember that other gods cannot indulge themselves into matters involving the realms of other gods. Zeus cannot punish you for your actions, this storm is not a result of your earthquake and-" Triton gestured to the dead _hippocampi_ , meaning their death. "Certainly, I believe our uncle must be amused with this whole ordeal."

Zeus was a little too fond of slaughter.

"Is that why you're here?" Percy moved a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous habit.

They had never formed a proper relationship, they had never bonded with one another, so his presence there made no sense, unless he had come to punish her for her massacre on those sea-creatures.

It was _his_ domain, after all.

She could almost imagine his joy after finding out he finally had a reasonable reason to unleash his wrath upon her, since he seemed to loath her from the very first time they met.

"No. It's not my place to do so. Only our father can decide what to do with you." He waited until the demigoddess seemed to process his words. "I'm here because I have a message for you."

It came back to her, _Triton was the messenger god of the sea._

The green-eyed demigoddess was full of disappointment after hearing those words. She would never say it out loud, but she had _hoped_ to receive some sort of repercussion for her actions; anything that would ensure that she would never hurt anyone- mortal, immortal or animal- ever again.

However, she forced her disappointment away, and inquired: "Is something wrong?"

She feared to receive an affirmative answer that would mean for her more danger and more suicidal missions. There was never a pause in the Olympian's world, there was always something bad about to happen. And, as always, _she_ was the one that was forced to deal with it.

Triton ignored her question. "Our father has suggested that you go back to Camp Half-Blood."

Percy's stomach dropped. "What for?"

There was something on Triton's eyes, an emotion that Percy had never seen on him. They'd been around each other a couple of times before, the few times Percy had visited Atlantis, and their interactions had never been longer than a minute. Triton seemed to hate her, which Percy could never understand, because he had a good relationship with their half-brother, Tyson. That morning, though, there was nothing alike hatred on his familiar green eyes.

It was a startling change, one she never expected.

"You're not the first of Poseidon's offspring to go on a killing spree," His words were devoid of any emotion, though there was something on his eyes, an emotion that she thought was impossible. She pushed that away, concentrating on his words. "Every ocean has a dark side. Our father tends to push away those children he cannot control."

Percy wanted not to believe him, but immediately, she remembered the lonely goddess she had met once, with Jason. _Kym_ , they called her, because her name was too long, _Kymopoleia._

A lonely goddess, forced to roam the abandoned ruins of Poseidon's castles; rejected by her own family because of her violent powers.

 _Violent powers_ , such as the ones Percy had.

Percy's stomach dropped unpleasantly, as though she'd swallowed a snake and it tried to escape her stomach.

The maddening sense of triumph she'd felt after relishing on her powers and strength only felt a thousand times better, which made her feel disgusted with herself.

Perhaps that was the reason for Poseidon's absence from her life.

He must've seen the resemblance that existed between Kymopoleia and Percy, and decided that he had to push her away in the same way he'd pushed the goddess away.

In that moment, when she was feeling down with betrayal and furious for his absence, that she discovered she couldn't recall if his eyes gazed upon her with love, or if it had been just a reflection of her own love towards him.

Feeling aghast, she looked away from her immortal brother.

Perhaps her father's absence meant what deep down she always feared: that for him, she was nothing more than a _pawn_.

That's what she was to the other gods, why would it be any different for Poseidon? After all, he'd only claimed her when he needed her to clear his name. He'd used her since the very beginning.

Perhaps it was something she had always known, but that she'd never accepted, out of cowardice and disappointment.

"Is that what he wants to do with me?" The words were already out of her mouth before she could stop herself, they came with more pain than she would've liked to show in front of a brother that never liked her. "Is he trying to push me away?"

It felt like the most horrible betrayal she would ever face, bigger than when she found out the friendly boy that had welcomed her to Camp was, in fact, a traitor that intended to kill her and their family.

After all she had done for her father, he wanted her away from his life and his domain, away from the normal life that Mystic Falls offered. He wanted her to be in _Camp_ , where people would be controlling her moves and watching her at all times.

She was starting to feel like a prisoner, like her immortal sister.

Triton's silence was all the answer she would get, and while there were no words, the answer was extremely clear for both parts.

"It's for your own good," There was something alike kindness on his voice, surprising Percy to the extent that she could not say a thing. "Camp is a safe space for those of your kind. You'll be safe, you'll be training. Perhaps, with time and care from those that live there, you could learn to control those emotions that haunt you."

Percy believed there was no amount of time and training that could help her overcome all that suffering and all that rage that she constantly felt, though she sensed she could not tell Triton that.

He could never understand how haunted she actually was, because while he had been an active participant on many wars, he had never known the vulnerability that came with being a mortal fighting a war that was meant to be for immortal beings.

Gods had a special ability that allowed them to push everything that caused them even the slightest of sorrows away- something very alike to the internal switch the vampires had. They could decide what they wanted to suffer from, and how long they wanted it to last. They could control their suffering. If that didn't work for them, they were able to find distractions in everything; they were beings that could appear at the same time in different places, they could have about a million different thoughts running through their head at all times forever. They could distract themselves from the pain, and when that didn't work, they simply chose to catalog their acts as the will of fate.

 _They murdered someone in cold blood, leaving a whole family devastated_? The will of the Fates. _The will of the gods_ ; it was an _honor_ for the family that lost their beloved to the wrath of a god, it was _beyond_ reproach.

That was how the gods could deal with their problems, with their impulsive actions and with their pain.

As a mortal, Percy Jackson could not do any of those things.

She wished she could have the ability the gods had to push everything away and be completely fine after every tragedy they encountered. She wished she could push the memory of Tartarus away from her mind, but she couldn't. She had no control over her thoughts, over her sorrow and her rage. It was something that was always present, no matter how much she tried to push it away.

Triton would never understand that.

He probably thought that, with care from those she loved, she would get better. He wasn't aware that her guilt and anger only seemed to grow when she saw her demigod friends and remembered all they went through. He wasn't aware that her rage grew more and more towards the gods with every passing day.

Everything they had made her gone through was only just settling into her mind.

She was just starting to realize and fully process everything that the gods had destroyed about her life.

Five years of pure torture, five years she had been their pawn...

But no more.

She _refused_ to go through that again, she wanted- and needed- the next five years of her life to lack the tragedy that the previous years had.

The only thing she could feel was rage- there was no way that could be fixed in Camp.

Percy was tempted to tell him that she wasn't going back to Camp Half-Blood out of spite, that she was angry at her father and therefore would not listen to any suggestion he made, more so when said suggestion was intended to push her further away from his life.

Instead, she sought a different approach; another excuse:

"I won't leave my family alone. If someone finds out I've left them unprotected, they're going to be in great danger."

As soon as her remorse had started, it disappeared, and was replaced with an infinite amount of indifference.

A first, Percy didn't realize the change, but once she did, she forced herself to remain controlled. Perhaps those emotions had disappeared for a reason; feeling remorseful over her actions wasn't going to help anyone, it would never bring them back.

Those _Hippocampus_ were just animals, she thought indifferently. She didn't have to suffer their dismissal as though she'd killed a precious friend.

Her rage had blinded her- for in her emotional state, she forgot that some _hippocampi_ had helped her multiple times in the past, that they trusted and loved her- and she could not see that the death of an animal was as meaningful as the death of a human being.

Rage was always easier to manage, at least for her.

It made her feel focused, even if it was because part of her was expecting her to jump and attack anything that moved out of anger. It made her feel conscious, it made her feel aware of her surroundings.

It was the only emotion she knew how to control.

A worried scowl made way into Triton's face. "Your family will be safe, Persephone. No one, except from a selected few in Olympus, knows about your instability. This incident won't reach the ears of anyone else, apart from us."

She snorted disdainfully, grimacing and looking away. "Just give it time. Once the news of what I did spread out, everyone will know."

He shook his head, and explained himself better by saying: "I'll make it seem as though it were me who killed them."

Everyone would believe him without a doubt, for gods were often slaughtering creatures and humans in blinding rage.

Her rage wavered for a moment, feeling too surprised to allow another emotion in. It _could_ work, his idea of covering up for her, but there was one thing she couldn't understand: _The Triton she knew would never take the blame for anything she'd ever do; on the contrary, he would gladly place all the blame upon her, anything to watch her suffer._

She narrowed her eyes, thinking that there was an ulterior motive behind it.

"Why would you do that? I thought you hated me."

"Oh, no, child. Don't mistake this as an act of kindness." He said, not realizing she wasn't naive enough to believe in a kind act coming from a god. "I'm not doing this because of you."

That sentence gave Percy a small pause, where she wondered if he had been forced to be there with her in that moment. Perhaps another god had forced him to take responsibility over the massacre she committed.

It made sense.

They probably needed someone to cover up growing instability. It wouldn't do them any good if titans or giants found out the god's favorite heroine ( _pawn_ ) was mentally unstable. They could start to conspire against Olympus- as always-, and without a healthy Percy there to save them, they would be lost.

She was about to make a sarcastic retort to that when she realized that- in the moment she'd been distracted thinking- her brother looked different.

It was as though he'd purposely dropped his barriers and showed her a part of him no one else had ever seen, a part of him that resembled humanity.

His jaw was locked tightly, his lips pursed, something very alike pain gleaming on his eyes.

Percy was so startled that she did not know what to do. Never before she had seen an emotion on him that wasn't arrogance.

Luckily for her, Triton never wanted her to acknowledge his vulnerability. He started talking after a small pause:

"I made a promise, long ago, to never let another sibling of mine go down a path of darkness and destruction." He locked eyes with her, the same emotion Percy couldn't quite decipher vividly present on his eyes. "So, yes, I _loathe_ you, but I won't let you become a monster, like many of our siblings have."

Percy felt too overwhelmed to know what to say. She had never expected her brother to say those things, so she did not know how she was supposed to react.

She thought the gods had turned their back on her, and there he was, the god she would've never imagined to be willing to protect and defend her, acting in ways that he thought were suitable to defend her.

"Triton-" Percy's throat felt dry, as though she'd swallowed sand. "I fear you might be too late."

Triton shook his head. "It's never too late."

He had seen nearly all of his half-siblings become obsessed with the overwhelming and never-ending power the sea offered them, then eventually, as their powers grew and they couldn't control them, he had seen the gods doing what they thought was right- killing them, for they posed as a threat to Olympus, rather than as the heroes they had wanted to be.

Percy's case was a different one, she had never sought those powers out in the way her half-brothers had. Tartarus had broken something inside of her, the thin line between morality and triumph. He could almost see the internal battle she seemed to be having at all times, a battle against her moralities and everything she used to believe in, and the triumph that came with making others suffer. She never wanted to grow obsessed with those powers and that triumph, but, he knew that, once darkness touches one light soul, it will forever be tainted.

She was trying, though, no matter how much she failed at controlling her emotions and powers, she was trying, which was more than her brothers had ever done.

They had simply let themselves be consumed, becoming as vengeful and cruel as the gods.

That's how Triton knew there was still time for Percy.

She was _different_ , she was a real hero- regardless of how much he'd mocked her for her bravery.

He hated her, and part of him wanted nothing more than to see the gods destroy her for once and for all, but he _knew_ that if she tried, she could overcome those familiar urges.

 _If_ she was willing to try.

"That's so corny," Percy found herself shaking her head. "Like a line out of a bad book: " _It's never too late_ ". You see, it _is_ too late for me."

Triton rolled his eyes in a manner that was extremely un-godly. "What would you know about it? You're only seventeen-"

"Don't do that," Percy complained, frowning. "Don't belittle me just because I'm young. I know more than you believe."

Triton pursed his lips. "I doubt you could identify when it's too late to recover from an obsession even if the god of obsessive behaviors appeared before you and told you."

"That's beyond the point-" She protested.

He gave her one of his usual glares, You've never seen a demigod grow obsessed with their powers. I have."

A small pause followed suit.

There was a tense edge around them, a feeling of imminent danger threatening to emerge. The demigoddess knew her immortal brother was _dying_ to revert to his original behavior towards her. She could see it, the struggle he was making to remain polite and guarded with her.

There were several signs that she could still see, though: the disgust he tried to hide when he looked at her, the way his mouth curled unpleasantly when she talked to him.

The way his mouth seemed to be about to call her _bastard_ , but refrained itself at the last moment, everytime he said her name.

The demigoddess glanced at his eyes, finally finding a name for the emotion he had hidden when he mentioned their lost siblings.

It was sorrow.

She wondered if that meant that there had been a half-sibling that he had actually loved, but lost to the darkness.

It seemed like a far-stretched thought, since Triton seemed to hate the demigod children of Poseidon, but she could never be sure. He had a good relationship with Tyson, after all.

Perhaps there had been other siblings he had liked, perhaps he only hated _her_.

She asked: "Has it happened a lot?"

"What?" Triton gave her an exasperated look. "It was a metaphor, _Persephone_ , there is no god of obsessive behavior-"

" _No_ ," She gritted her teeth. "I meant the hallucinations, the blackouts, the rage- to our siblings."

"Every case is different," Triton hesitated before answering. She took it as a negative answer, thinking that it meant that she was the only one to get hallucinations and blackouts. "You went to Tartarus, something none of our siblings ever did."

She couldn't compare her PTSD to the obsession the other children of Poseidon had eventually developed once they figured they could control everything containing water, even the human body.

"What happened to those of them that couldn't control themselves?" Percy asked carefully, though the answer was already at the back of her head. She knew better than any other demigod what happened to those that posed as threats to the gods.

Triton's silence was enough answer for the young demigoddess.

A sickening sense of doom overpowered her.

She looked away, refusing to become another victim of the gods and their paranoia. She had fought _two_ wars because of them, she had been under serious danger and had almost died- _multiple times_ \- because of _them_.

She was _not_ going to be their victim; she would _never_ let them disregard everything she did for them just because they feared her powers.

She _refused_ to be the next victim of the gods.

"You need to go to Camp," Triton insisted. "It is not only what our father suggest, it is what I suggest. Camp has always been your home, and in moments like this, I believe it would do you good to be in a place you feel comfortable in, accompanied by the people you love and care for. People that bring the best out of you. Your friends, your family."

Percy found herself unable to say anything else. Her mind was crowded with too many thoughts, all of them leaving a gigantic weight upon her.

-There was the fact that she had blacked out, again.

-There was the fact that she saw a new depth to her immortal brother that surprised her and left her with a million more questions.

-There was the suggestion that both Poseidon and Triton made.

-There was the imminent realization that Poseidon wanted to push her away.

She didn't know what to concentrate upon, then decided to mention what bothered her the most, concentrating on her rage.

"You never answered me if our father was trying to push me away by sending me to Camp Half-Blood."

Triton seemed to rejoice in the way her words were laced with pain.

"He doesn't need to push you away, girl. You're already far from him."

Percy didn't like how that sounded. She was about to ask what he meant when he continued talking:

"Our father has never been around, he's never been close to you." Triton pointed out, venom dripping from his mouth at the _our._ "He visited you a couple of times, allowed you into his Kingdom, gave you gifts and blessings, but that's about it. He was trying to make you feel loved, to assure your loyalty to him if another war ever threatened to come. The few times you two have seen each other is because there is a matter that needed to be discussed."

Percy drowned his voice out.

She was conscious of the fact that her father had never been around, gods were never around for their mortal children, but she needed him there with her, and all he had done was send a message. It was a small, stupid action when compared to all she had done for him.

Poseidon was not even trying to be there for her.

And, if what Triton said was true, he had never wanted to be in her life.

However, Percy knew she could never believe anything that came out of her brother's mouth if it involved their father. Triton loved making her feel like the unwanted, little bastard that she was.

Poseidon _had_ showed that he loved Percy, in his own way. He had protected her when she needed his aid in a mission, he had been on several of her birthday parties, he'd said she was his favorite child...

 _All of that could be empty words, empty actions to assure her loyalty to him_ , a voice alike Triton's whispered to Percy's mind.

It was too much for Percy to bear, even rage paled in comparison of all the pain she felt in that moment.

Demigods only wanted affection from their godly parents; and the realization that she might not have it...

It was destroying.

She forced herself to hide how much it affected her, knowing that her brother would only rejoice in the sight of her distress.

Percy realized Triton was expecting her to say something about his words, it took her a great amount of strength to say: "I know." without her voice wavering.

Triton seemed bright with relaxation and relief upon those words. He nodded profusely as he added:

"Gods are selfish beings, Persephone."

Her anger exploded, but not in the way she imagined it would. Instead of snapping and yelling, she found herself taking a deep breath and looking away, feeling exhausted and washed with a new sense of disappointment.

Somehow, that was all the explanation Triton could give her for their father's behavior. He had been immortal since his birth, it was something he- as a god- considered normal. Triton could never understand the affection and love Percy craved from their father, just as she could never understand how could anyone be content with that kind of life.

For gods, power was more important than love.

They were more important than their children.

It made sense, then, that Poseidon had disappeared from her life the moment the wars ended. His kingdom was secured and safe, his immortal life no longer threatened.

There was nothing else he could want from Percy.

Gods cared more about themselves than about their family.

Perhaps that was something that would never change. Once, Percy had believed that anyone was capable of change, that even gods could learn to behave like normal families and love their children as much as they loved themselves. She'd been blinded by the few gods she knew that cared for others- like Hestia-, but now she was starting to know better.

Hermes said once that gods could never change.

Percy was starting to believe that to be true.

It felt like a destructive blow, the realization that she'd been wrong all of her life. She thought she was rather mature and that she understood perfectly well how the gods' mentality worked, but she was starting to realize that there were still matters concerning the gods and their behavior that she was still too naive to comprehend.

Naive and stupid. Percy couldn't believe how blinded she'd been.

Percy was the Heroine of Olympus; the gods knew her strength and her weakness, they could bring her down in a blink if they wanted- the fact that they hadn't her after all she had done meant that they still wanted something from her.

They kept seeing her as their pawn.

Anger filled her senses, only that this one didn't make her want to act upon it. It was the sort of anger that made someone want to cry from it, the kind of anger that was more frustration and disappointment than actual fury.

She was tired of the gods. She was tired of the gigantic mess they caused every day. She was tired of them using her, of making her believe they loved her only to assure her loyalty to them.

She started to think: _When had the gods done anything for her? Anything selfless and kind?_ She thought about Apollo, and Hestia and Hermes, but the thought of them wasn't enough.

 _What if Triton was right? What if everything the gods did was to control her?_

She thought about the way Apollo treated her. How their friendship had been the most important thing from him since the very beginning, how he'd broken many ancient laws to help her, not caring about the consequences. She thought of the first time he said he loved her, of how vulnerable and scared he had looked the second after he'd said it.

He'd been scared of her not reciprocating his feelings.

He was the only god that had treated her as a human being, instead of as a pawn.

Apollo and Hermes. They were the only ones that had treated her with kindness and love, like the family they were supposed to be, and not as someone that could deal with their problems.

Hermes had _asked_ her to try and make Luke realize his mistakes, he never _forced_ her to. He never blamed her for not being strong or smart enough to save Luke. He was good to her, he was friendly, he was supportive...

Which was more than she could say about the other gods.

Triton turned back to stare at the horizon, as though the sea was talking to him. There was a frown etched upon his handsome face when he turned back to look at his sister.

"There's something else, another message." When she focused her attention on him, he continued, "There's a great danger coming to town, one you'll mistake as a friend."

She scowled, unable to hide her bitterness as she said, "Well, it's a good thing I only have two friends here."

There was always another thing about to happen, a new danger about to arrive in her life.

Triton didn't find her statement amusing in the slightest.

"Be wary of those that you do not know and that try- out of nowhere- to befriend you. In that same way, be wary of those two friend that you already have here, you might never know what kind of darkness of their own they might be harboring."

The demigoddess accepted the advice, though she doubted her friends could be harboring anything imminently threatening towards the whole town or towards her.

Emma was sweet and kind, shy even with her own family. And she was mortal. Damon had grown to care about Percy more than he would ever admit, and he only threatened town when Elena's safety was involved, and the doppelgänger was _safe_.

She had no idea what that message could mean.

Not knowing what else to say, but knowing it would fall upon her shoulders to protect town, she gave a small, tired nod of her head.

"Farewells, Persephone." Triton returned the gesture.

She opened her mouth to say goodbye to him, but he was already talking again:

"I hope to see you well the next time we see each other." Triton walked towards the thin line where the sea met the sand. He looked back and locked eyes with her. He had cruel smile on his lips, one that Percy had expected from him since the very beginning of his arrival. "If, for any reason, you do not work for your mental health to improve, I will forget about my oath, and end your existence once and for all."

 _That_ was the immortal half-brother she remembered.

His body started to melt into the water, and the demigoddess barely had enough time to shield her eyes before he showed his true-form. A soft splashing sound followed, then the smell of salt lingering on the soft breeze.

Once she was sure Triton was gone, she opened her eyes.

For a second, she stood there, staring at the corpses of those beautiful animals she had killed.

She saw their form start to evaporate in a beautiful flash of white light; melting into the ocean in the same way their lord had. She watched until the last of them was gone, and until the soft waves crashing against the shore cleaned any remains of their blood off the sand.

After what seemed like an eternity passed, Percy looked down at her hands, still red with blood.

She guided one of them towards her pocket, and pulled out her Camp Half-Blood beaded necklace.

She thought about Chiron, and how concerned he would be if he learned what she'd done.

She thought about Nico, who had told her once that if things ever got rough, she needed to go to Camp and train herself.

She found herself looking at her hands again. _I need to learn to live with this, because while it might not go away, I won't be controlled by it._

However, perhaps her best chance at getting better was not in Camp Half-Blood. Going back there was what the _gods_ wanted her to do- not what _she_ wanted to do.

The spite she felt towards them was bigger than her love for Camp- they wanted her to go back, so she was _not_ going to do it.

She wondered if her immortal sister had refused the gods' will in the same way that she was starting to. If she remembered correctly, Kym had rebelled against them, and was punished by being forced into an unwanted marriage with a monster.

Percy wondered how they would punish her- _if_ they punished her, because the gods seemed to be doing whatever they could to keep her on their good side.

Whatever the case would be, she found that she did not care.

"Sister," Percy told the ocean, hoping that, in some mystical way of the gods doing, her forgotten sister would hear her voice. "My promise still stands- Camp Half-Blood will know about you."

Jason and Percy had promised to make her existence known, to build monuments for her- at the moment Percy didn't realize how a goddess could fall for those empty promises, but as she started to have a taste of what loneliness was really like, she couldn't blame her sister for wanting even the smallest gesture of recognition.

There wasn't much Percy could do for her, she was no architect.

Once Camp knew about her existence- and once she talked with the Hephaestus cabin- the recognition the goddess wanted and deserved would be assured. Percy's promise would be fulfilled.

Percy was tired of the gods, but she needed to make things right with those deities that she had fooled. With deities like her immortal sister, deities who were alone and unloved; those that only wanted recognition and affection from others.

She tried to remember what other deity she had promised sacrifices and offerings, but couldn't recall another one. There was Hestia, though, who still remained in Camp Half-Blood under disguise, and with whom Percy had promised to speak more, but had never actually approached her again.

It wasn't her fault, though, she was always busy when in Camp- every time she was there, something was happening- war, attacks, missions, etc. She had little time to socialize with anyone, more so when Apollo decided to pay her a visit and ended up taking the whole day off with her, filling her afternoons with laughter and joy.

A new thought appeared on her mind, a realization that startled her: she had spent more time with Apollo than with her own father.

Apollo probably knew her better than Poseidon.

It felt so wrong, to be so connected with a boyfriend, but not with a father.

She felt disgusted with Poseidon's lack of presence in her life, and pushed her thoughts away, knowing that thinking about the past would do her no good. It always started like that, remembering good moments, then it crashed and became a full flashback about things she never wanted to remember. A flashback was the least she needed in that moment.

She forced herself to focus on her surroundings.

Now that everything had passed, she realized how complicated her situation actually was. She was almost out of Mystic Falls, in a beach that had taken her hours to find.

 _How was she supposed to go back to her house?_

 _Couldn't her brother magically send her closer to her house? Or at least give her a horse or something?_

An exasperated sigh left her mouth. _Of course he wouldn't, he probably hoped a car would run her over as she walked back into town._

The sun was shining too brightly. It made her clothes hang to her body in an uncomfortable way, sweat making her feel more suffocated than she actually was.

 _I've traveled more treacherous paths before,_ Percy reminded herself, pushing her discomfort away, _At least I'm relatively safe here_.

She started to walk, grunting to herself every time her bare feet- apparently, her blacked-out self didn't think it necessary to put shoes on before leaving the house- stepped on the hot ground.

The consequence for neglecting her training all those months she was in town could only be felt there, when she was walking back to town, and her limbs ached with every step she took.

If a monster decided to chase her down, she would probably collapse after a minute, and die pathetically by their hand.

The thought was so horrifically disgusting that she vowed to exercise more often, even if all Mystic Falls offered was a low-maintenance gym and streets that were too crowded to offer an effective running path.

In the distance, a crossroads could be seen- both their sides looking identical, but leading to different places.

Percy blinked in confusion, not remembering having seen a crossroads there before, but allowed herself to approach it carefully, as though it would be the end of her.

In a way, it was, because she couldn't remember which side lead back to town.

The odds of getting to her house before her parents noticed her absence were growing weaker with each passing minute.

She was about to choose the left side when a car appeared from the right side of the crosswalk. She thought it would ignore her presence- anyone in their right state of mind would ignore the sight of a young girl in blood-soaked pajamas and bare feet. But a second later, the car stopped in front of her.

Percy scowled, but allowed herself to feel a small spark of hope- perhaps they could give her a ride back to town.

The windows of the car went down, and she found herself staring into a familiar face of a sharp-dressed, handsome man, with dark hair and eyes, a straight nose and a string jawline.

 _Elijah_.

Percy's hope died away, replaced by a small hint of fear- she was unarmed, her pajamas had no pockets, so Riptide had not appeared on her.

She hoped he wouldn't see that as an opportunity to destroy her- then remembered they had a deal, that he needed her to find his siblings, and relaxed a little.

He _couldn't_ harm her.

"Ms. Jackson," Elijah's eyes were upon her own green ones, respectfully choosing to ignore her attire and the blood that covered it.

"Hey," Her throat protested against the motion of speaking, and she swallowed thickly to appease the ache she felt.

There was a tense moment between the two of them, both not knowing what to say.

At last, she gathered her bravery and said, "Would you be terribly annoyed at me if I-?"

He was already nodding, one of his elegant hands motioning for her to enter the car. "Not at all, come on in."

"Thank you," Percy wasted no time, she crossed the hot pavement and entered his car, carefully closing the passenger's seat door and putting the seat-belt on.

He drove away instantly, which made her realize he'd only stopped because he'd seen her.

"We'll be in Mystic Falls in no time," He promised, with a conversational tone of voice. He allowed himself to give her a friendly smile, one that she returned easily.

"I hope so," She said, "You've just saved me the trouble of walking, not to mention I didn't even remember the way back to town."

He chuckled. "You're lucky your friend tried to kill me an hour ago, if he hadn't, I wouldn't be on my way back to town."

"Damon-" Percy stopped herself, "Never-mind, I'd rather not know."

Percy took in his appearance between short moments where she dared to look at him while he drove. He was dressed in one of his usual suits, but there was something different this time: the buttons of his suit were open, showing the white dressing shirt he wore, which had a stain of fresh blood.

Elijah seemed to notice her curious eyes wandering all over his figure, because he cleared his throat subtly, one of his hands leaving the wheel to button the loose buttons of his dark suit. Immediately, Percy looked away, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

He didn't ask about her blood-soaked clothes, so she did not ask about his.

"I believe we never finished our chat, did we?"

Percy shook her head, then realized he couldn't see her as he was staring at the road, and added, "There's more to the story that I should know?"

Truthfully, she had too much on her mind to be able to fully concentrate on what he wished to speak with her. But also, in a way, it could help her remove all the things she was overthinking.

If she concentrated on Elijah's story, she would be pushing away her own mess.

It was something she found herself wanting to do; she wanted to have a long conversation with the Original vampire, anything to distract her.

Elijah made a sound of agreement. "I'm quite positive I told you the story of my family was far longer and far more complicated than you'd ever believe."

Percy nodded vaguely. "You did."

He made a small pause, then inquired, "I suppose you haven't found anything yet-?"

Something told the demigoddess that the Original vampire was used to receive what he wanted rather quickly.

She'd been through so much in a day and half _\- the nightmare, the earthquake, the blackout, the massacre-_ that she'd completely forgotten to ask Triton when she saw him about the other Original vampires buried on the sea.

"I'll find them," She promised. "Just give me time."

She'd have to look for them on her own if she wanted to keep the mission secret from Poseidon. He wanted her out of his life, so that was exactly what he'd get. Only that not under his terms.

Instead of going back to Camp and turning into a prisoner there, Percy was staying in Mystic Falls, and she was protecting it from every danger that might ever threaten to come- even if it came disguised as a friend.

Elijah accepted her answer, though he seemed rather impatient. She could understand his emotions, if the case had been reverted, she would've done everything she could and more to find her missing siblings.

"What was the last matter we discussed yesterday?" Elijah inquired, wanting to test her memory and concentration.

Percy tried to remember. "When Niklaus became full of rage and hatred, when his parents cursed him and repressed his true nature."

 _When you mentioned he attacked his own siblings for opposing him._

"I see," Elijah sought the right words out. "The curse my mother placed upon Niklaus."

His right hand left the wheel as he turned his palm up in front of the radio- offering her to take his hand.

She hesitated- something Elijah must've noticed- but in the end, she allowed her hand to fall upon his own. She started by delicately touching the point of her fingers on his wrist, then she moved them through his whole hand- all the while, she didn't notice how her actions made him still for a moment, the contact causing a familiar tickling sensation cross his whole body, looking away from the road to stare at her- then finally settling her whole hand on top of his.

She was concentrated on their hands, her lips tightly pursed together in a way that resembled a pout. It was an adorable look on her fierce face, one that Elijah couldn't help but smile to.

Percy had expected the connection to start immediately, to be sucked into his memories as soon as they touched, but that did not happen. He had to open his mind for her, which was more complicated than she expected.

She looked up into his face, locking eyes with him, curiosity written on her delicate features. The contact overwhelmed him for a moment. She had the ocean on her eyes, he realized, an ocean he could not recognize, but that part of him couldn't help but respect.

Percy looked like a normal person. If someone saw her on the street, they wouldn't think much about the tall girl that crossed them, only that she was physically attractive, with an easy smile that screamed trouble. Elijah had been momentarily fooled by her disguise; he had to remind himself that she was more than a normal person, more than a teenager; she was the _Heroine of Olympus_ , the daughter of _Poseidon_.

The sea that lived inside of her was strong and _alive_.

As a supernatural creature, Elijah could sense it.

He was able to see through her disguise, and for a moment, it shocked him. It was startling to see all the strength and the power that lived inside of such a young person.

"Is something wrong?" Percy asked seriously, narrowing her eyes.

Fearing the connection had backfired and allowed him into her mind instead of the other way around, she moved her hands from his as thought burned from the contact.

Elijah forced himself to push his thoughts away, realizing that he had stopped the car in the middle of a crowded street, and that he had not opened his mind to show her the rest of his story.

He shook his head, "Perhaps we should take this conversation somewhere else."

The honking cars behind their back agreed to his words.

Percy nodded, grimacing as she glanced back to the cars that had honked at them. "Yeah, that's might be a good idea."

"Are you hungry?" He inquired, driving away once again.

"Very," One look at the clock and she realized she'd missed breakfast and lunch. There was no way her parents hadn't noticed her disappearance by then. "But not in the conditions to eat anywhere with a dress-code."

Elijah was too much of a gentleman to trail his eyes over her figure in the way he wanted, but he allowed himself a small glance at her clothes- the first one in the short time they'd been together- and had to agree with her words.

"Nothing compulsion can't fix," His right hand moved from the wheel to his pocket, where he took out his cellphone and offered it to the demigoddess. "I reckon you should call your mother to tell her you're safe."

Percy stared at the cellphone for a moment. She dreaded the concern she knew she would hear on her mother's voice; she hated worrying Sally, more so now that she was expecting a baby.

But Elijah was right.

Her parents needed to know she was safe.

Percy feared the kind of things they would believe had happened to her.

The demigoddess thought of a reasonable lie to give her mother- the truth would never soothe her nerves. Sally could _never_ know she had blacked out and committed a massacre, and if she knew her daughter was somewhere with an unknown man, she'd think the wrong thing.

Lying was the only way to make things right.

Percy took the cellphone Elijah offered her, pushing away the worry of attracting monsters by using technology. She was already in a car with a monster, there wasn't much she could do them anymore.

"Thank you." She added as an afterthought, to which he nodded.

"Call your mother," He repeated. "We might take a while."

They had things to talk about during their lunch together, which meant it would be a slow afternoon, not to mention that the trip back to town was longer than he'd admitted- two, three hours top.

Percy's parents deserved to know their daughter would be getting home late.

The demigoddess dialed the house's number, but it went straight to voicemail. She tried Paul's phone, but he never answered calls from unknown numbers. She dialed Sally's phone, and her mother luckily answered rather fast, as though she'd been expecting a call.

"Mom?"

Sally gasped. " _Percy-"_

Elijah concentrated on the road ahead of him, respectfully acting as though he wasn't eavesdropping on their whole conversation. The demigoddess, regardless of the fact she noticed his action, felt uncomfortable and exposed.

" _What happened_?" Sally demanded, changing her relief for annoyance, something she had never done before, and that surprised Percy a lot. In the distance, she heard Paul inquiring: " _Where is she_?"

"I never meant to worry you both," The green-eyed girl said, not answering neither of their questions. "I'm sorry. I can't explain right now, there's something I have to do-"

Percy made it sound like a mission on purpose; for she knew that Sally would never blame her for disappearing if a new mission had been assigned for her. Sally had always been understanding about those matters...

" _You said you were safe_ ," Sally interrupted her, accusation on her tone of voice. " _Are you_?" And after Percy repeated that she was safe, Sally continued: " _Then explain_."

The demigoddess found herself closing her eyes and swallowing a groan. The one moment she could not speak- the one moment she was in the presence of a dangerous mortal monster- was the one time that Sally decided not to be understanding about the situation.

"I cannot explain-" Percy toyed with one of her rings distractedly. "I have something to do."

" _Yes, while you're out there doing God's knows what, we've wasted all of our day looking for you_ ," Sally snapped, pregnancy hormones making her anger explode- or that's what Percy thought. " _We deserve a proper explanation."_

She was taken aback with the tone her mother was using on her, and for a small moment, she could only stare ahead of her, the phone still pressed against her ear.

"And I will give you a proper explanation, just that not now."

" _No, Percy. Enough lies. We want the truth. We've been looking for you all day!"_

Percy's cheeks were red in embarrassment, for she had tried to act mature in front of the dangerous Original vampire, but bickering with her mother was probably the most childish thing she could ever do. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed that he was purposely staring at the road ahead of him, even when the road was clean and empty of other cars.

"I never asked you to look for me," Percy hadn't meant for that statement to come as harsh as it did. "It's not the first time I leave the house without notifying you beforehand. You're overreacting."

Sally sounded offended and hurt, " _Would you rather we stay home doing nothing while you disappear for another nine months?"_

That was a low blow, something she never meant to say in such a direct way, but the words were already out of her mouth and she could not do anything about it but wait her daughter's reaction.

Percy's heart stopped for a moment, not believing her mother would use that against her.

Those nine months she'd been away hadn't exactly been a paradise, it wasn't as though she had _wanted_ to disappear.

The demigoddess knew that Hera had damaged many things when she took her against her will all those months back, but she never imagined that one of those things would be the relationship she had with her mother.

"I'll be home in a couple of hours, not months," Percy said at last, her words coming out colder than she intended them to be. "I trust you know the difference between being kidnapped by a goddess and having an important thing to do."

The demigoddess ended the call, ignoring whatever answer her mother would come up with.

It wasn't good to start a fight with the only person she could truly count in- with the person that had always been there for her, but she was still full of rage from her former actions, and as much as she claimed she could control her rage, most of the time she could not control her mouth.

Elijah extended his hand, not looking towards her. She placed the phone back on his extended palm, and looked away.

The Original vampire had about a million questions he would've liked to ask, but instead of making his curiosity known, he said:

"I hope you like Chinese."

Percy finally recognized the area they were covering- they were crossing a small street at the outskirts of Virginia, close to the main entrance of town (close meaning an hour or two) where the streets resembled one big market place. There were shops at every corner, most of them being food courts, the rest being souvenir shops. She had lunch there with her parents when they were first driving into town, all those months ago.

The demigoddess tried to look through the window and see if she could find a familiar restaurant, but everything seemed to be closed. The usually crowded street was deserted and lonely, all the shops closed- all but one, in the distance, a Chinese restaurant.

"Where's all the people?" Percy scowled, unnerved by the lack of mortals around. A place like that was bound to always have long crowds of people.

Elijah looked at the clock. "I take it from your tone that it's not usually this deserted."

It was around mid-afternoon, a time when people were out looking for lunch; he shared her surprise at the lack of humans around.

All the answer he received was a non-verbal sound of agreement.

"Should we?" Elijah hesitated. "Perhaps it will be better for us to speak without having to fear eavesdroppers."

In other words, no mortal would feel frightened by the face she'd make while entering his mind.

After all, she had to close her eyes to concentrate, and it would look highly strange to be touching any part of Elijah while closing her eyes and leaning back.

She'd look like a psycho, or a pervert- Percy wasn't sure which was worse.

"Maybe," Percy conceded. "Park there-" She pointed to a spot in front of the restaurant, "It's closer than the actual parking lot."

The parking lot was completely empty, but it was better to park close to the restaurant in case something happened and they had to escape.

Something about the whole empty street bothered the demigoddess more than she would ever admit, making her cautious of the whole situation.

It felt like a ghost street, though she'd been there two months before that moment and it had been a normal street, full of costumers and of noise.

When they got out of the car, the silence that stretched around them was more unnerving than the lack of people. They were standing right in front of the restaurant, yet no sound could be heard coming from it- not even the sound of anyone preparing food.

It was beyond strange.

 _Something_ felt wrong about the place- though Percy didn't know if she was just being paranoid.

She must've looked uncomfortable, because Elijah offered her his arm, a silent question burning through the air between them. The gesture was familiar- Apollo fancied such old-fashioned gestures: linking arms, kissing hands, opening doors for each other, slaying monsters together, that sort of stuff-, and she welcomed the unexpected familiarity in such a strange place.

"This place gives me the creeps," Percy admitted after a moment, grimacing as they stepped through the doors.

Elijah looked at her- they were the same height, so there was no need to look up or down to lock eyes. His eyes asked things his mouth would never ask out-loud. It appeared he was smarter than she'd thought- sometimes talking about things that weren't usual would only make a situation worse.

She shook her head. _I don't know if there's something wrong, it just feels like it._

He pursed his lips and looked around.

The place was smaller than they thought it would be, more so considering the strange way the tables we aligned with each other. They were arranged in a way that left one big circle in the middle, as though something- perhaps a show of some sort- would keep the people on the tables entertained.

"Which view would you like to have?" Percy raised her eyebrows, sarcastically inquiring: "The middle or the room or the middle of the room?"

"The middle of the room sounds wonderful, thank you."

She couldn't help but giggle, never expecting to receive an equally sarcastic answer to her sarcastic statement.

He smirked at her, and as she moved towards one of the tables- they were all the same, so it didn't matter which one she choose- he moved towards the empty counter and rang the bell upon it, patiently awaiting for any employee to take his order.

The seconds stretched into minutes, and they still had no answer.

Percy was about to tell him to forget it and leave when there came a loud sound from the kitchen, and then, through the open window that divided the counter from the kitchen behind doors, the sillhouette of a woman could be seen. The woman was old, or she appeared to be old, for her silhouette showed a woman leaning against some kind of cane.

An eerie voice called out: "Order?"

Something about it made Percy's skin crawl, though she didn't give it much thought. A faint smell of food lingered on the air, making her stomach groan in desire.

Elijah glanced back at the demigoddess. _What do you want_? He received a helpless shrug as an answer, so he took it upon himself to study the menu on the board and to choose what to order. He didn't know what she liked, but since she seemed to be okay with whatever he picked, he chose the one he thought sounded more delicious.

The woman in the kitchen limped away, making a sound of agreement.

Elijah went back to the table.

"I'm not sure how healthy the food will be-" He moved a finger though the table, picking up dust as he did, and grimaced.

Percy couldn't help but feel disgusted. A feeling that only grew when the woman in the kitchen coughed loudly for a couple of consecutive moments. Elijah had his eyebrows raised, but said nothing about the whole ordeal, though he looked as disgusted as she was feeling.

She wondered if he had ever been inside of a bad restaurant- like that one they were in that moment, since he was rich and immortal. He could probably compel himself a nice spot on the finest restaurants of the world.

"Shall we start?" Percy inquired after a moment of silence. "Our food might take a while."

Elijah nodded, and once again, extended his hand towards her.

This time, the connection started instantly, sucking her into memories that did not belong to her.

She saw the rest of the Original's story.

She saw them finding out their mother made their father a vampire to haunt them down once the other witches made her see the abomination she had created. She saw them running away from their father- at times, she saw them lining happily and rejoicing life, only to be forced to flee once their father found them. He tried to kill all of his children, though he seemed to have reserved a special amount of hatred only for Niklaus.

Then she saw Niklaus' desperation to break his curse; Percy finally had an answer about Annabeth's discovery about the Sun and the Moon curse, which was more satisfactory than she would've liked to admit.

After all those months wondering what was the truth behind that fake curse, she finally had an answer: She saw Niklaus and Elijah writing the Sun and the Moon curse, wanting others- vampires and werewolves alike- to feel so tempted by that to try and break it for them.

Percy saw the reason Katherine had been running from the Originals- she saw how Niklaus had been at the verge of breaking his curse, but he'd been sloppy and the doppelgänger had discovered what her fate was and she'd run, turning herself into a vampire to escape her fate.

More importantly, she saw what was needed to break the curse _: a witch to cast the counter-spell, the moonstone, a vampire, a werewolf and a doppelgänger to sacrifice_.

Not any doppelgänger, it had to be a _Petrova_ doppelgänger.

 _Elena Gilbert._

Percy broke the connection as immediately as the memories started to move faster, time passing by. The last thing she saw was the Salvatore brothers trying to protect their beloved Elena from Elijah, eventually managing to drive a stake through his heart.

The green-eyed girl closed her eyes for a second, trying not to succumb to the dizziness that made it impossible for her to breathe. The connection had been longer than the last time, the memories more intense. It had almost been to much for her mortal mind, though she'd never admit it. Those memories felt stronger than her hallucinations, but they left the same sickening sensation of doom all over her body.

It felt as though she couldn't have control over her own mind- it was very unpleasant.

"That's why you're here," The young girl realized, unable to keep the accusation off her voice. "Niklaus intends to break his curse. Mystic Falls has everything he needs: a doppelganger, the moonstone, witches, vampires. All he's missing is a werewolf."

"I'm here because it's only a matter of time before my brother comes into town," Elijah corrected. "The news of Elena's existence reached me, which can only mean that it has also reached Niklaus. However, I fear you might be mistaken in your assumptions, I'm not here to aid Niklaus-"

Percy shook her head, remembering what she'd seen on his mind.

"You want to kill him."

Elijah seemed taken aback by her correct assumption. For a moment, he said nothing, then slowly, he glanced away, trying to come to terms with the fact that he wanted to do what his father had tried to do all his life.

"He's my brother," Elijah said at last. _And I love him_. "However, he has done terrible things, some which are too treacherous to be forgiven."

Percy shook her head at him, moving her hands as though to stop him from talking. "You don't have to explain yourself, I'm in no position to judge."

Her own family had a large record of murders.

Elijah seemed to accept her answer. He sought another topic, saying "Do you understand now why I thought it important for you to know the whole story?"

Percy nodded. "The whole town might be affected once Niklaus tries to lift his curse."

Doppelgängers weren't that common, which meant Niklaus would never let Elena escape in the same way Katherine escaped him; he'd destroy the whole town before letting her escape.

The thought alone gave Percy a new wave of stress.

She just hoped Elijah would keep his brother controlled, as he claimed he would, because once Niklaus started to kill mortals around town, she'd have to deal with the whole situation, as her main duty was protecting mortals, however tiring it was.

"There will be casualties," Elijah agreed, looking uncomfortable at that admission. "I'm afraid I cannot assure you the safety of mortals around town once my brother arrives, but I do promise to protect your family and friends from him."

"For as long as I search for your brothers," Percy added.

She wasn't stupid, she knew that a bond as strong as the one that existed between Elijah and Niklaus couldn't have been so severely damaged as to extinguish the love that existed between them.

She had a feeling that, as much as Elijah claimed he was going to kill Niklaus, he wouldn't actually do it. He'd been trying to redeem his brother for centuries, it was something that couldn't be easily erased. Perhaps Percy was mistaken, but that was what she thought of the matter.

Elijah observed her, sensing something was bothering her. "I will make sure to keep my brother as far from you as possible, Ms. Jackson. You won't be involved in any of our problems. If that's what's bothering you-"

She interrupted him. "I believe you. We made a deal, I know you won't back out on your word." When he gave her a curious look, she explained herself, "You're the one they call honorable."

"But there _is_ something on your mind," Elijah guessed, tilting his head to the side as he watched her attentively.

"Do you really think you can fool me into believing you'll kill Niklaus?"

Elijah didn't like the tone of voice she used on him. "My plan _is_ to end his existence-"

Percy snorted, leaning back against the chair and staring at him. "How do you plan on doing so? Your thoughts move around the possibility of waiting until the full moon is at its highest point, to then tear his heart out, but then what? We both know your kind is the only species capable of surviving to have their heart ripped out."

Elijah's face was a perfect mask again. For a moment, he regretted letting her inside of his mind, though it had been the only way of properly having her whole concentration on him and the story- he knew people with ADHD couldn't concentrate easily.

When he spoke, his voice was cold and harsh. "I thought you said you wouldn't care about the outcome since it was none of your business."

"It's none of my business, but I won't be part of a web of lies," Percy shot back. "We made a deal, and I believe in your word, but you have to trust me."

"You think I've been deceiving you?" Elijah seemed to be losing his patience. "Ms. Jackson, the only weapon that can kill me and my family was destroyed centuries ago. I haven't found a way to strike my brother down, but I assure you that I will."

Percy thought of all the times she saw Elijah forgive Niklaus and continue standing by his side, even when he claimed not to.

She said: "You've forgiven him before." Their promise of always and forever was a strong one.

"He had never gone as far as to punish our siblings in a way they could never recover from." Elijah shot back, having lost his patience, and therefore, dropping his walls. "He went too far this time. There's no way to be redeemed from that, I _won't_ forgive him for _that_."

There was only raw sincerity on his voice- raw emotion, raw pain. It seemed like a strange gesture of vulnerability, something she never thought she'd get to see from the stoic man in front of her.

There was _nothing_ about his statement that she could turn against him; she knew the kind of pain he was feeling, and knew he was being truthful about his words.

She sought something else to discuss.

"Niklaus need the moonstone to break the curse. You tried to keep Elena safe and failed. I think you need to speak to her without the Salvatore brothers knowing about it, they tend to become blind when they think someone wants to harm their girl." He agreed with her words, though she continued before he could say anything. "I have the moonstone- I can give it to you."

Percy thought it was better if Elijah kept the moonstone safe- that way, Niklaus would have no reason to seek her out, and therefore, she wouldn't be under the imminent threat that was encountering him.

She wanted to keep the immortal hybrid as far from herself as she could.

The Original vampire looked surprised at her words, having thought the Salvatore brothers had the moonstone, but eventually, he nodded slightly in her direction.

"I'll keep it safe and away from Niklaus' hands," He promised. "Thank you."

Percy offered him a tentative smile, hoping not to regret her choices.

Everything could backfire and end up tragically- Elijah could back out on his word and let Niklaus live, bringing chaos into Mystic Falls and wrecking the peace she had formed when she put a leash on the Salvatore brothers- but, after all, her life _always_ backfired, so she was pessimistically expecting the worst.

The woman's eerie voice returned: "Ready."

Her voice was followed by a series of banging sounds coming from the kitchen, as though all the cooking pots had fallen to the floor.

"Is she talking to us?" Percy scowled. It was hard to be sure when she hadn't even moved from the kitchen, they had never seen each other face to face.

"Perhaps she means our order is ready," The vampire seemed to shrug, though there was some sort of caution on his actions as he stood from the table and approached the counter. "Ma'am? Is our food ready?"

"Ready." The woman's eerie voice repeated. "Ready. Ready. Ready."

Percy tensed. Something was wrong. "Mr. Mikaelson, I think you should get back-"

Elijah looked back at her, a frown on his face. He seemed to hear something coming from the kitchen, because his head turned towards the small window, then his eyes widened. A green twig approached him with fast speed, then wrapped against his calf and pulled, dragging him into the floor and inside the kitchen.

Percy cursed and sprang from her seat instantly.

She moved swiftly towards the place where he'd been previously standing, then looked back at the main door, only to find it had been closed.

She didn't waste more time, she moved into the kitchen.

The first thing she noticed was that the green thing that had caught Elijah was not a twig.

It was a _tail_.

It came from the rear end of a young woman, the woman that had been cooking for them. She had long, pretty dark hair, and was dressed in a short, summer-dress. Percy couldn't see the woman's face, but she knew it was probably unpleasant- the inhuman and sharp tail that she possessed was hideous and of a sickening green that probably meant it was poisonous.

The monster was doing something to Elijah, though her whole body blocked whatever it was, so Percy had no idea what was happening or to what she would be going against.

Percy tried to sneak behind the woman, but at once, the tail straightened and then drove towards her at an amazing speed- she ducked, throwing herself behind a counter.

The woman made a sound of pleasure that disgusted the demigoddess. "Come out, little girl. Don't be scared."

Elijah made a guttural sound of anger. Percy wasn't seeing him, but she imagined he was trying to fight against the monstrous woman; it would be to no avail, he was a powerful vampire, but the monsters from Percy's world were stronger and more dangerous.

Behind the counter, Percy tried to come up with a plan- she was unarmed, the first thing she did was look around, trying to spot anything that could serve as a weapon; she saw a small kitchen knife and took it. The next thing to do would be try to find out what she was going up against- that way she could know how to defeat her.

The monster seemed to lose its patience: "COME OUT!"

Percy obliged, then staggered back at the sight she was met with.

The woman was young- horribly so, probably younger than Sally-, though her skin was green and decaying, her mouth a hideous red that resembled blood. She had a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes, though that only made if creepier- _who wore sunglasses inside a building?_

"Why are you doing this?" Percy demanded. "Who are you?" She evaded one specially sharp blow from her tail, moving to the other side and holding her improvised weapon tightly on her hand. "Identify yourself!"

The woman staggered back, as though the question had taken her by surprise. She threw her head side to side, as though driven mad by her own thoughts, then her hands came up and grabbed her own forehead, screaming for a moment in despair.

Percy was too startled to take advantage of the situation.

"What is your name?" Percy pressed on, this time more gently. The monster hadn't made another movement to attack, but she stayed with her guard up.

The woman didn't hear her. She continued grabbing her forehead and mumbling things that came out too fast and too low for the demigoddess to hear.

For a moment, it looked as though the monster was in deep pain.

Her green eyes shot back to where Elijah was. She could finally see what the monster had been doing to him, though it wasn't safe for her to try and approach him- the unstable monster was in the middle of them.

The Original vampire had been placed inside of a gigantic cooking pot, his skin all irritated and red from the vervain that kept him trapped there. It must've been an _incredible_ amount of vervain, for Percy knew that some vampires could stand vervain if they tried- and something told her that an Original vampire could, most certainly, stand it enough to escape.

Percy lowered her voice until it was mere audible, "I'll deal with this, but I need to know what I'm up against."

Elijah groaned when he tried to shift on his restrains and the vervain pierced his skin. He didn't speak, but one of his hands moved enough for him to move one of his long fingers and point it at his chest. He made several circular motions, then when she didn't seem to be understanding, he mouthed the word: _name-tag_.

Percy's eyes shot back to the woman, only to find that she had been staring directly at her, which made Percy's heart jump.

"Daughter of Poseidon." The monster licked its lips- her tongue was lacerated, like one of a snake's.

The demigoddess tensed. She didn't like it when monsters knew about her but she didn't know about them.

Her eyes found the name-tag placed on the monster's dress, but the distance and her condition only made it impossible to identify what it said.

"M-" Percy stopped herself. "Mail?" That didn't sound right. The letters kept shifting places and getting blurry, so now it seemed to say a whole different thing. "Liam? Liam?"

Elijah banged against the cooking pot that held him, drawing the monsters attention to himself. The woman hissed at him, pointing with her claws and tail in his direction, which only seemed to disgust the Original vampire.

"Quiet. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet." The woman snapped, trembling. Her tail made a movement as though ready to sting the vampire, but she held it on her hands, preventing it from touching the other monster in the room. With her whole body turned towards him, he could easily read the name-tag she wore.

"Lamia," Elijah pronounced, his accent making the name sound more exotic than it originally was.

Percy's choked on a breath. " _Lamia_?"

The woman screamed, turning towards the demigoddess and hissing at her. "Do not speak that wretched name!"

"If you didn't want people to know your name, why would you place it on a name-tag?" The demigoddess shot back.

"She took my children!" Lamia cried in despair, her sunglasses falling off her face to reveal the hideous truth- she had no eyes, only empty sockets. "My poor babies!" She made a guttural cry that penetrated Percy's bones and made all of her hair's stand on end.

Something about her words didn't feel right, something about her story wasn't quite right.

The green-eyed demigoddess found herself pausing and considering the whole statement before asking, "Lamia took your children?"

"NO," The monster screamed. "I AM LAMIA."

Lamia's tail threw a blow close to where Percy was, grabbing into one of the counters instead of her. The vicious woman made pressure on the counter, squeezing it until it turned to dust before their eyes. Something told the demigoddess that Lamia had thought she'd grabbed into a human instead of a counter.

Suddenly, it all appeared on Percy's mind- the monster's full story. Around Camp, stories about her atrocities were used for scare the younger campers.

"You're the child eater." The green-eyed girl blurted out before she could stop herself. "You steal children and devour them. Out of envy and sorrow...because your own children were stolen."

Suddenly, it made sense why she had trapped Elijah inside of a cooking pot. Though it was doubtful that she'd actually cook her victims before eating them- that was something that only happened in Hannibal.

Real monsters were as cannibal as the word states, using their teeth to pierce the skin and penetrate the bones, ripping their victims apart with their mouths and eating them raw.

The image of Kronos devouring the gods appeared on Percy's mind, and she gritted her teeth.

It was _disgusting_.

Lamia was just another example of how monstrous the families from her world actually were.

Elijah seemed to have reached the same conclusion about his fate that Percy had. His face had not morphed into the beast he held within, but there was only venom on his voice when he spoke, enough rage hidden on his words that Percy found herself flinching.

"I'm a grown man, not a defenseless child. If you even attempt to devour me, I will rip you apart."

Lamia remained unbothered by the threat.

As many monsters from Percy's world, she took her time into explaining her situation to the demigoddess; for whatever reason they did that, demigods could never know, but they were glad for their egocentrism and idiocy, for it gave them enough time to think of a tactic powerful enough to destroy them.

"Lamia," Percy called her attention. "What happened to you?"

She knew the story, everyone that was around Camp Half-Blood in Halloween knew the story.

But she still listened attentively when Lamia seemed to believe her curiosity to be innocent and chose to answer her question. It was always different to hear the story coming from the actual monster than to hear it coming from the supposed heroes.

"Hera stole my children." As Lamia talked, Elijah fought silently against his restrains. "Zeus promised to save them, but he ended up choosing her over our babies." Her tail twitched in anger as she spoke. "I tried to find them on my own, but Zeus tore my eyes out-"

"No." Percy scowled. That was not how the myth had gone. "You never tried to find your children. You went around the world, full of grief and anger, and started devouring all the children you found."

"I only wanted to find my babies-" She stressed, hissing.

"You devoured your own children when you found them," Percy shot back in the same persistent way. "Lamia, you turned yourself into a monster. It was all you."

"NO." Lamia cried. "I never meant to hurt my babies! Hera made me do it-"

"Hera kidnapped your kids, but it was you who started to eat children around the world, eventually finding your kids again and devouring them, too." Percy gave her a disgusted look. "You turned yourself into a monster."

Lamia's tail threw a sharp blow in Percy's direction, but the demigoddess was able to evade it easily. In its rage, the monster seemed to lose the little patience it had, and moved as though to jump her, only to stop when the daughter of Poseidon opened her mouth and said:

"Hera took me away from my family, too."

Those words seemed to shake the monster, for it stopped its movements and stared hard at the young girl in front of her.

Percy continued, "She destroyed the relationship of trust I had with my mother."

Lamia started to nod, almost maniacally.

Percy wondered if the part of the myth that said she'd been driven crazy by her grief was also true.

"You understand, then," Lamia licked her lips, eagerly trailing her empty-sockets over her figure. She also wondered how Lamia could see if she had no eyes. "You understand why I'm doing this. H-Hera deserves a punishment."

"Yes," Percy nodded profusely, mockingly smiling in her direction. "Hera deserves a punishment."

"Y-Yes-" Lamia hissed in pleasure. Her whole body trembled with anticipation. "T-The gods love children. I have to eat them all, all the children in the world," She savored the thought, her fangs growing in size with each word. "Then Zeus and Hera will finally feel the grief I felt."

Percy was tempted to laugh.

All the gods cared about were themselves, only a few of them actually cared about their children and the children of mortals. If Lamia wanted them to feel grief, she had to try to eat _them_ , not their _children_.

Nonetheless, the demigoddess nodded and kept smiling.

She opened her arms wide, as though expecting a hug from the monster, and said, "Come and get me. Zeus would surely be angry if you eat me before he gets the chance to kill me himself. I'm the perfect bait."

Elijah snapped. "Ms. Jackson!"

Lamia ignored the Original vampire, and obliged to the demigoddess advice.

As soon as the monster lunged for her, Percy twisted the small knife around her hand, then stabbed her in the chest as soon as she was upon her. The monster screeched in pain, it's tail wrapping itself around Percy's body. She found herself suffocating instantly, the tail crushing her whole chest with an immense force she never expected- meanwhile, Lamia kept screaming in despair and rage as her stomach bled out.

Percy started to see little dots appearing on her vision, and then, as suddenly as she'd started to suffocate, the feeling stopped, and the tail moved away from her body.

Lamia was staggering back, the blood that came out of the wound on her stomach moved before their eyes, trailing a path upwards and into her open mouth.

As soon as the demigoddess could properly think, her rage grew, and she found herself willing the blood to move faster towards her mouth, making her choke on her own blood.

Lamia kept choking, but didn't die. A monster of her kind would never die in that way, all she could do was pass out.

Percy caught a glimpse of a bigger knife- a cooking ax- on the other side of the kitchen.

The demigoddess walked slowly towards there, seemingly having no concerns about the whole situation since the monster was immobilized by her lack of oxygen.

Once her hands wrapped themselves around the ax, Percy walked back to where Lamia lay crouched on the floor, staggering and retching as her blood kept moving towards her throat and into her lungs.

For a small moment, all Percy did was watch her suffer- it felt good to be causing a monster that kind of pain.

All Percy could think was of the poor kids she had devoured through the centuries.- but then, her hands fisted a lock of her dark hair, and she pulled, forcing the monster's face to be facing her own as she drew the ax to her neck.

"N-No," Lamia choked, blood everywhere. "My babies-"

With one swift blow, Percy decapitated her.

In an instant, her whole body turned to dust, then scattered with the soft breeze coming from the window.

She might have left Riptide home when she blacked-out and ended on a beach, but she had not left her defenses back there. That sword was only her favorite weapon, the one she could work better with, but she could still make weapons out of anything. Perhaps that ax hadn't been as powerful as her sword- which was made with celestial bronze, the material that killed monsters instantly- but it had been enough to kill that particular monster.

She turned to stare at Elijah, moving her hand and making water appear out of nowhere. Once she did, she moved the water until it washed all the vervain from the chains that held him trapped. He hissed in pain once the cold water touched his burnt skin. When the chains were free of vervain, he freed himself with one swift movement of his wrists.

"You heal faster than a normal vampire," Percy noticed, watching how one second he had his skin blotchy from the contact with the vervain, and the other one, it was normal and healthy-looking. "You okay? Anything irreparably damaged?"

He shook his head.

She took a small moment to savor the triumph and rest, leaning against one of the counters for support as she struggled to remain conscious.

It had been a _long_ day, she'd used her powers too many times in such a short amount of time- she had no ambrosia or nectar to heal herself. She had been running on full adrenaline, since she hadn't eaten proper food since the day before.

But now the remains of that adrenaline burned out, leaving only exhaustion on its place.

She was able to hear Elijah moving around, though she was too tired to care about his actions. He could murder her if he wanted, and in that moment, she wouldn't care if it meant she'd have some rest.

"Perhaps there's something you could eat before leaving," Elijah mentioned casually, "You need energy."

That probably meant she looked wrecked. "Thanks."

"I do not mean it like that. I can practically hear your body protesting against every attempt at movement you do. When was the last time you had a proper meal?"

That was not something she was wiling to discuss with a monster.

For him, she was probably a decent meal (Damon kept mentioning over and over again that her blood smelled delicious) however affectionate and caring he sounded when he questioned her health-choices. She had enough with the Salvatore brothers acting as though they were her siblings; she didn't want another vampire to try and care for her.

Nonetheless, she found herself shrugging and answering. "Yesterday, maybe."

Elijah exhaled deeply.

At first, she thought it had been because of her words, but then he said, "If you're squeamish, do yourself a favor and don't look here."

That was _not_ a good thing to tell a very curious demigoddess. Most of the time she wasn't squeamish, but she was always full of curiosity.

Moving towards the place the vampire was standing in front of the fridge, she peaked through a small gap between his arm and his head, and caught a glimpse of the thing that Elijah had found: frozen human limbs inside of the fridge. They were everywhere: in every single space of the refrigerator, in every meal she had stuck there, there were even bottles of blood in beer cans, and a frozen hand wrapped against one of those bears.

"Holy fucking gods," She breathed out, disgusted, taking one step back and moving one hand to her nose to block the unpleasant smell of rotting skin. "I'm really glad we never got to eat the food she was preparing us."

Elijah didn't look faced with the sight, which disgusted the demigoddess once she realized it was because he was no stranger to those sights- he had probably mutilated bodies in that way, too. All vampires were sadistic monsters, no matter how refined they seemed to be.

"There's blood there," Percy hesitated, unable to hide her disgust. "If you need to feed-"

"That's child's blood," Elijah interrupted her, looking equally as disgusted as her. "I don't feed off children."

A vampire with morality, that was new.

Percy hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine. As long as you don't snap in the middle of the road and decide you'd like to have a divine bite-" She trailed off, one eyebrow raised in contemplation.

"Like I said, I don't feed off children." Elijah paused, he doubted she knew he meant her. He then changed the conversation before she could fully realize what he meant. "I cannot fully process the fact that she was ready to eat us."

Percy laughed humorlessly, "Welcome to my world, buddy. Nothing _ever_ makes sense. People eat each other all the time. It always involves some kind of revenge."

"She was selling customers food that contained human limbs," Elijah stressed, raising one perfect eyebrow in bewilderment as one of his fingers poked what seemed to be a fried eye. "And afterwards, judging by the lack of people in the street, eating them."

"Once, a monster disguised himself as an ordinary salesman that sold beds that stretched you until your limbs popped out of its sockets once you tried them on." Percy rejoiced in the skeptic look Elijah bore in that moment, grinning as she added: "That was one of my first quests. Fun times."

Elijah places his hands on his pockets. "Let's improve our deal, shall we, Ms. Jackson?"

Percy gave him a curious look, tilting her head to the side. "What do you have in mind?"

Elijah continued. "I keep you out of my family's problems, you keep me out of your world's business."

Percy was tempted to laugh.

That was _all_ she had always wanted out of the deals she had done in Mystic Falls. She just wanted to remain out of people's business and to have them away from her own business.

She sensed that his request was mainly out of frustration. He had been powerless against Lamia, who had been relatively easy to kill, that could be a blow to anyone's ego.

At last, Percy nodded. "I think I can happily agree to that new condition."

"If there's nothing else you have to do here, we need to leave." Elijah moved away from the fridge. "I'll take you somewhere else to eat, hopefully somewhere with no abominations trying to eat us."

...

Emma's father was a war veteran turned artist.

After his service as a soldier, he'd gone out of his mind, full of grief and sorrow over his actions on the battlefield, and had eventually decided to do something better, something that would help him fill the hole that the war had left on his chest.

He followed his main passion, which was art, and started painting.

He started to give free art classes once he discovered he knew how to teach others. His classes were free because he never needed the money, he had enough with his veteran salary, and all he wanted was to help others find their passion for art.

Thirty years after he opened his art-study and started giving classes, his first daughter was born. He was already an old man, being on his mid-forties, but his young wife was happy with the arrival of little Emma, followed shortly by their first son, Andrew.

When Emma was old enough to properly hold a brush, her father had taught her how to paint, starting by the basics and then progressing into different kinds of techniques- oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolors, tempera, etc, though her favorite had always been watercolor; she liked the way the colors molded together, creating new shades and becoming one.

She'd learned to paint before learning to speak- it was something that she loved wholeheartedly, and that reminded her of happy times- when her parents were together (their age difference had made things difficult between them, which in the end, drove them to get divorced), when she had no concerns for anything, when school was easier and people liked her...

For that reason, on the few moments that she felt hollow and empty, she relied on the familiar feeling that holding a brush and creating beautiful patterns over a clean canvas offered her.

It was the only thing about her life that would never change, it was the one thing that never failed to make her happy.

Her father still lived in Mystic Falls and had his study open for public, but he almost never got new students to teach, which made him feel depressed, and had him eventually stop going to his own study.

He sent Emma there from time to time to check on the place, since he didn't fully trust the employees he'd hired.

That day, since Emma was particularly feeling down, she was happy when her father texted her to ask her to check the place. It was the perfect excuse she needed to stay there for a while and paint.

However, there was an unknown man in her father's study when she arrived there after school. He was staring directly at the few paintings his father had on the wall, some made by himself, others by talented students he'd had. The presence of the man wasn't alarming, though it seemed strange that there would be someone there when Mr. Darcy never let anyone into that part of the study if he was not present (and he hadn't been present there for quite some time), for there were too many valuable things upon those walls, paintings that were too personal to be seen by anyone, paintings that meant a lot to him.

"Excuse me," Emma called politely, though she remained distanced from the man in case he was hostile. "You're not supposed to be here."

The man turned, a look of surprise flickering into his face. "I'm not?"

He was extremely handsome, with dark, blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes that seemed to portray all the life he had.

He placed his hands on his pockets and offered her a charming smile, "I apologize for the intrusion, then."

Emma relaxed a little; thinking that he was probably one of the students.

"It's okay. I'm sure Mrs. Nolan simply forgot to mention that beginners can't enter this part of the studio without supervision."

Mr. Darcy was never around the study, which made it hard when actual students appeared asking about the classes. Mrs. Nolan, the receptionist, was supposed to schedule the newcomers that wanted to take classes, to have them all together on the one day Mr. Darcy would finally go back to his study.

It seemed strange the old receptionist would let a man roam freely through the place after scheduling him, it was something she never did.

Amusement crossed through the man's eyes. "I'm not a beginner, though, love." The corners of his mouth twitched.

Emma tilted her head to the side, giving him a curious look. "You're not?"

Perhaps that was one of the men that wanted to teach classes there; the place received thousands of job solicitudes, but Mr. Darcy never hired anyone. For one thing, he liked being the one to teach. Secondly, he wanted to keep the classes free, and if he hired another teacher, he'd have to pay them.

He grinned, gesturing to the wall as he added, "I assure you, I'm more than capable of creating art more strikingly impressive than those."

Emma tried not to feel offended, for many of those paintings had been done by her. She found herself teasingly saying: "Is that so?"

"Allow me to show you," The man offered, sounding as equally teasing as she was being.

Emma's good mood started to drop. She wasn't supposed to let anyone touch the art materials if her father wasn't present. He was the one that had the talent of teaching others, Emma was too kind and sweet to be able to correct anyone doing a mistake without feeling horrible about it. She didn't want to break one of her father's rule, but part of her was actually curious about the man's art talent.

He must be _good_ if he claimed he could paint better than Mr. Darcy and his students.

Emma smiled easily. There was nothing she could lose by letting him paint, and even if there were something she could lose, her father would never know.

"All right. Follow me, sir."

"Klaus, please," The handsome man followed her. "My name is Klaus."

Emma slowed her pace until they were walking side by side, locking eyes with him as she said, "I'm Emma."

"Lovely name." Klaus complimented, something alike fire brightening his eyes. Something about his smile seemed almost feral in that moment, though she chose to ignore it- thinking that it was probably a trick of the light. "It suits you."

Emma gave him a bright smile.

They crossed a hallway, then she opened a door and turned the light on, moving aside to let him inside the room. There were tables all around, all of them full of art materials, and then, at the other side of the room, were different styles and sizes of canvas. She motioned for him to chose one, and as he moved to examine them, she sought something to talk about, bothered by the silence.

"Have you always liked art?"

His answer was nonverbal; he nodded profusely.

Then she asked, "What do you like most about it?"

That seemed to be the question he was hoping to receive, a smirk flickered on his face when he answered: "Panting is a metaphor for control. Every choice is mine, the canvas, the color. As a child, I had neither sense of the world nor my place in it, but art taught me that one's vision can be achieved with sheer force of will. The same is true of life, provided one refuses to let anything stand in one's way."

Emma processed his words, then found herself giving him an admiring look. "That's a nice way of putting it. I've never thought about it in that way."

Klaus chose a canvas, them moved towards one of the tables. "May I?" When she nodded, he took a seat and started preparing his materials.

She watched him for a while, noticing how familiar he was with the materials. A familiarity that was only visible in someone that had been painting for a long, long time.

Emma couldn't help but picture her father there, where Klaus was. The way they moved and arranged their materials was very similar.

"Does your father still paint?"

"Yes, of course." The question didn't surprise Emma; her father was known around town as the art teacher, since he'd been at it for more than forty years.

Klaus nodded, looking down at his palette before meeting her gaze again. There was something alike curiosity on his eyes, then, though the younger girl couldn't understand the reason for it.

" _Emma_ ," Her name sounded almost special coming out of his lips, "You really don't remember me?"

Emma blinked. She was certain they had never seen each other, when she looked at him, there was not even a small feeling of having seen him before. His face was new to her, though she couldn't find a polite way of saying that.

"I'm sorry," She said at last, sounding sincere. "Have we met before?"

Klaus looked only a little disappointed. "No matter, love. Human memory is unkind. I didn't expect you to remember me."

Emma tilted her head to the side, "Does that mean we _have_ seen each other before?"

"Years ago, your father fell into a deep depressive episode of self-hatred." Klaus explained patiently, though there was something not patient about the way he organized his colors and chose his brushes, almost as though his thoughts were getting the best off him. He looked almost agitated. "He tried to kill himself. You were here, with him, in this same art study."

Emma's heart fell to the floor, a sickening sense of fear settling over her whole body.

That _couldn't_ be true, she had a _good_ memory, she remembered a lot about the past, and she was certain she wouldn't have forgotten something as serious as her father trying to kill himself.

"Your mother sent him to a mental hospital, Emma," Klaus said gently, his voice softer than it had ever been. "I took care of you-"

"No." Emma's voice broke, which she hated. "My father is not crazy."

Klaus shook his head. "I never said he was. Seeking professional help doesn't make someone mad-"

" _Stop_ ," Emma spat, only then noticing her nerves had gotten the best out of her, and that she had started to silently cry. "You don't know _anything_ about my family."

Klaus calmly poured two colors into his palette, moving one brush to soak it on the first color, then moved the brush towards the canvas. "I met your father a year before he marched straight into war, then a month after he got off the military service, I welcomed him into my house until he could find a place to live at, then at his wedding, I was his best man. I've known your father for far longer than you've been on this earth, Emma. _I was here when he tried to kill himself_ , _I took care of you when your parents left you alone."_

Emma snapped. "NO."

In a blink, he was standing in front of her, cradling her face on his hands. Emma gasped, trying to move away from his touch, but he was too strong for her to fight the contact. But then, before she could do much else, their eyes locked, and something inside of her seemed to break and make pressure on her head. She could only focus on him, on those mesmerizing eyes and on those words that were coming out of his pair of plump lips. Everything else felt blurry and impossible to stare at; if she tried, the pressure on her head grew until the pain became so horrible that she could barely see and breathe.

" _Remember_ , Emma," Klaus commanded.

The locked memories came back to her with such strength that she almost crumbled.

When she was 4 years old, before Andrew was born, Emma had been with her father when memories from the past plagued him and he ended up having a breakdown- he kept seeing a soldier he had accidentally killed, and that blamed him from his death. He was driven to kill himself by that image of the young soldier he had accidentally killed. Klaus, who was visiting his friend for the first time in almost decade, managed to stop him before he could traumatize the young girl that stared at him with unblinking eyes.

The rest was a fuzz, even with her memories back, she couldn't fully recall what happened.

She saw herself being held by a strange creature with red eyes and a pair of fangs, a creature that then shifted his face until it was a normal, human face- the face of Klaus.

Everything passed too fast; her mother followed her husband into the mental hospital, staying with him at all times, for Mr. Darcy only felt safe when she was around. Emma would've been alone, had Klaus not taken her into his home and raised her.

For four years, he took care of her.

The rest was a blurr.

She couldn't remember everything- she didn't know what happened to make her mother go back to her, or why Mr. Darcy had been allowed to leave the hospital, but she knew enough to understand the missing pieces of her childhood.

 _Klaus raised her._

 _He taught her how to write and read._

 _He walked her to school on her very first day of school, holding her hand as she nervously approached the building._

 _He calmed every temper tantrum, he soothed every fever and treated her with care during every illness that she had._

 _He held her when she cried because her classmates were mean._

 _He protected her from everything._

 _He loved her._

Emma opened her eyes, choking on a sob.

All her life, she wondered why she felt as though she was missing something when she had _everything_. The answer was clear then: she had missed her _father_.

For a moment, none of them knew how to address the situation.

Klaus was a little nervous and hesitant. He had been dreaming about reuniting with his little girl since the very day he was forced to leave her behind. He'd imagined all sort of things, though most of them revolved around the fear of having her hate him for leaving her.

He was scared of having lost her to all those years they were separated from each other.

He never wanted to leave her behind, he'd been forced to.

Back when he was still raising her, Rosalie Darcy had found out he was an Original vampire and had reacted horribly, taking little Emma away from him, even when she had never seemed to care about her daughter enough to properly care for her.

What followed had been terrible: she'd summoned Mikael, waking him from the slumber that the witch Abby Bennett had forced upon him; all so that the Original vampire hunter could kill Klaus.

Needless to say, Rosalie Darcy was not on Klaus' good side.

Before leaving, Klaus compelled Emma to forget about him, hoping that one day he would be able to reunite with her. He wanted to take her with him, but it wasn't the right thing to do. She had been just a child, and Mikael would've still struck her down if it meant harming him. Klaus didn't want her to be forced to live a life of constant paranoia when she was so young.

She deserved better; her beloved girl deserved better.

As he looked at her, and saw realization crossing her features, he hoped she could forgive him for leaving her alone. He hoped there would still be any part of her that loved him- because he never stopped loving her.

"Emma-" Klaus stopped himself. Hesitantly, he decided to say, "Hello."

Emma was too surprised to react instantly, though she muttered a soft, "Hello" back to him. Five second later, she seemed to make her mind, and then she threw herself at Klaus' arms, who immediately returned the warm hug, closing his eyes and leaning into his daughter for emotional support.

Emma kept muttering " _Nik_ ," over and over again, as though trying to reassure herself that he was there. It was tearing her apart that she'd forgotten that there was someone, beyond her parents, that had loved her unconditionally.

"Emma," Klaus breathed in relief, for she wouldn't be hugging him if she didn't forgive him. "My darling girl."

"Nik," Emma whimpered, feeling like a child rather than the teenager she was. "Where were you?"

The question wasn't as hard as Klaus had feared it would be, for his sweet child didn't sound angry at all. At most, she sounded worried.

"I was forced to go, love," Klaus said softly. "But now I'm here, and I won't ever leave you again."

A light frown covered Emma's sweet face, she straightened herself to remember more about her past, and at last, a scowl appeared on her face.

"What happened?" She asked. "Where are the others?" A new thought appeared on her mind, one she concentrated fully upon: "Are you safe?"

Klaus knew what she really wanted to ask: _Was Mikael dealt with?_ Emma had been young, but she'd understood everything about the world that surrounded her better than any other mortal he had ever known. While she never knew that the reason for his departure was Mikael's presence in town, she knew that he had been an imminent threat for his family and him.

Klaus hesitated.

Emma had all the answer she needed. "You daggered them?"

She'd been eight years old, at most, when she opened a coffin and found one of his daggered siblings.

Klaus flinched, worriedly watching her reaction to see if she bore any kind of disgust at his actions. "I did what I had to do to keep them safe."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "They _are_ safe?"

Klaus nodded. "I only daggered them to keep them safe. Mikael is still around, they were being reckless and impulsive, hardly avoiding being exposed to the whole world, which would've consequently made our father find us."

"So," Emma hesitated, biting her lip in contemplation. "You won't wake them until Mikael has been dealt with?"

That was exactly what Klaus planned. Once his curse would finally be broken, he would have enough strength to destroy his father, once and for all. Only then, once their biggest threat was gone, he would wake his family from their slumber.

Klaus knew his siblings wouldn't forgive him easily for daggering them again, but eventually, he was sure they would understand the reason for his actions: he wanted to protect them.

"Have you been alone?" Emma sounded concerned, which surprised and warmed Klaus' heart. "All this time, if your siblings are daggered, does that mean you've been alone?"

"Elijah-" Klaus hesitated, then admitted: "Elijah's not daggered. He's already in town, it would seem. Only that this time he does not stand by my side."

It took Emma a moment to process those words. "What did you do to annoy him?" It must've been terrible, for Elijah was _always_ by his side.

Klaus swallowed thickly, looking away. "He believes I buried our siblings on the sea."

"Why does he think that?" Emma blinked in confusion.

"Because I told him that."

Emma widened her eyes. "Nik, what the hell?"

"I was in a rage-" Klaus stopped himself. Emma had never experienced his episodes of rage; he'd carefully hidden that part of him when she was young. Part of him feared what she'd think once she discovered all the horrible things he had done on his life.

The thought of losing his beloved girl after finding her was unbearable.

Emma looked down. "As long as it doesn't damage the relationship he has with you..."

That was another thing Klaus only realized: she'd never fully noticed, in her childlike wonder, how damaged their relationship had always been. Not just between Elijah and himself, but between the rest of his siblings too.

"All I care about is my family," Klaus then said, "All I care about is _you._ But you have to trust me, love. I might do horrible things in the future, but never doubt, not for one second, how much I care for you."

Emma smiled, moving forwards to hug him again. Klaus realized it had been ages since someone had properly hugged him with all the affection that she did.

"I know who you are, Nik. I've always known it, and I trust you." There was only sincerity on her words.

Klaus' smile died away for a moment. "You know who I am?"

"You're the strongest in the world," Emma smiled simply. "Strong enough to keep the bad things away."

"No harm will ever come to you," Klaus promised then. "I will do all it takes to keep you safe, my lovely little Emma. I assure you, you will never fall by my hand."

"I know," Emma grinned widely. "I trust you."

Klaus was too overwhelmed to properly react; he simply allowed himself to feel all the love and affection that she offered him.

Then he remembered the main reason for seeking her out in that specific moment, his good mood drifting away.

"Love, there's something I need you to do for me," He broke the silence that surrounded them. She looked at him, curious. "I hate having to ask you, and you must know that you are under no obligation to agree-"

Emma waved his nonesence away. "What is it, Nik?"

At once, he was overwhelmed by the loyalty she showed him.

Then he told her his plan.

When she heard everything, Klaus saw a little speck of doubt on her eyes, and hated himself for asking her to do that. But then Emma nodded, and a smirk appeared on his face, triumph overcoming his senses.

There was only one thing Emma wanted to know. "Why me, though, Nik? Wouldn't it be easier for you if you were to posses a man?"

Truthfully, Klaus had thought about using Alaric in the same way he planned to use Emma, but then realized the local vampires knew him too well, they would recognize the change in his behavior rather quickly, which would damper his plans.

Then he'd thought about using Andrew Darcy, Emma's younger brother.

But then again, the truth was, Andrew was not a good boy. He was capable of everything and anything; he was the kind of boys that girls saw on one end of the hallway and turned away from him, the kind of boy that no one could ever trust because they knew the kind of bullshit he always caused. He was beyond problematic, in every aspect of the word.

Emma, on the other hand, was a sweet, kind, innocent and pure young woman. She was kind to everyone she met, and her social anxiety kept her from getting herself into trouble with anyone- not counting the times she defended herself from disgusting men that annoyed her, that was a whole different thing- she was, in general, a good person. She was someone that everyone seemed to trust, no one would ever believe her to be the author of anything remotely bad.

That was, in fact, the perfect disguise for a vindictive monster such as Klaus Mikaelson.

For, who could ever doubt someone like Emma Darcy?

...

 _There's a great danger coming to town, one you'll mistake as a friend_. Triton's words kept coming back to Percy at the most unusual of times.

True to his word, Elijah took Percy to her house, not before stopping at a local fast-food store for junk food that he did not eat, though she suspected that when he left for the bathroom and came back looking healthier and in a better mood, he had actually drank someone's blood. Disgusted, but not interested in discussing his culinary choice, she ignored it.

As soon as the demigoddess entered into her house, her mother came to find her.

Percy had believed her mother would've gotten over their little petty quarrel already, but when they talked with each other, Sally's eyes were cold and unyielding. She looked concerned and, at the same time, relieved to see her daughter safe, but as she listened to the lies her daughter told her, she looked cross.

It made the green-eyed demigoddess worry.

Her mother had _never_ acted that way after one of her "missions".

"You fought a monster alongside Lord Triton?"

It sounded impossible, more so coming from Sally's lips. Her mother knew how terrible their relationship was. In fact, everyone did. None of them tried to hide their hatred for each other.

"I know," Percy tried to sound amused, though it was hard to when her parents were staring at her in such a serious way. "It sounds strange even for me."

 _Perhaps_ , she though then, _I should've invented something else._

"Did he hurt you? In any way?" Paul and Sally asked at the exact same time, which would've been sweet in another moment.

Percy shook her head, her curls bouncing with the movement. In a way, Triton's words had hurt some part of her, the part that craved her father's affection. On the other hand, their encounter was more cordial and polite than it had ever been. She couldn't say he'd hurt her in the same way that he had in the past, for his words weren't as hurtful as they usually were.

"We had a cordial encounter," She finally said. "Which was even more strange. In general, today was extremely off-settling."

"You must be tired," Sally waved her away, still looking slightly off. Percy wondered if she was still angry at her, but it couldn't be that, Sally was understanding and kind, there was _something else_ bothering her. "Go ahead and rest, we'll call you down later."

It was as though she _wanted_ Percy to be away from her.

The demigoddess swallowed. Her mother was _that_ angry?

Paul nodded in agreement, looking equally serious, "There's something we need to discuss with you."

Percy did as she was told.

She went upstairs without a second glance to her parents, wondering all the while what they had to talk with her about. It sounded important, but if it could wait, perhaps it wasn't _that_ serious.

Upon entering her room, the demigoddess went straight to her bed, where she collapsed and closed her eyes, too exhausted to take a bath first.

She was almost asleep when a familiar image appeared on her mind.

 _She could feel Gaea's tongue exploring her mouth, leaving a path of mud everywhere it touched; she could feel Kronos' erection rubbing against her back, his agitated breathing against her neck._

Percy's eyes shot open, her whole body trusting forwards into a sitting position, choking a scream down all the while.

Desperately, her hands tried to grab something- anything- to protect herself with, and in the end, she found Riptide carefully secured under her pillow. Her weapon stared back at her, the glistening Greek letters that adorned his name calming her nerves down- having Riptide on her hands _always_ gave her a false sense of security.

Truth was, she knew she was overreacting.

She started to calm down, forcing her breathing to remain controlled.

It had only been a small glimpse of her last nightmare, of the last thing that had plagued her mind and refused to leave.

All day long, she'd been distracted enough to forget the horrors she felt the night before when her mind turned against her and made her dream that Kronos and Gaea, the most horrifying titans in all of history, were forcing themselves into her.

But in that moment, when she was alone and at relative peace, the dream came back to her with so much strength that she would've crumbled had she been standing on her own feet.

It felt real.

She was probably overreacting, but, truth was, it felt too real.

The way they kissed her, the way they touched her, they way they whispered things into her ear...it was too real for her to be able to ignore it.

She could still _feel_ their burning touch on her skin.

She wanted to tear her skin off.

She never wanted to feel Kronos- or Luke, for one frightening moment she wasn't sure if his eyes had been golden or blue- touching her; she never wanted to feel Gaea touching her. It was something she _never_ imagined, something she _never_ wanted. It made her think about the countless stories of deities raping each other, it made her think of the poor deities that went through that. It made her _sick_ to her stomach.

 _It's only a nightmare,_ Percy kept telling herself. It didn't help in any way, it didn't make her skin feel less tainted.

The only touch her body knew was her own, and Apollo's warm one. She'd thought about how it would feel to be touched by others, now that she was single, she found herself wondering how certain attractive people she saw on school would touch her; though it was never serious, she didn't like the thought of sleeping around. She didn't like the shameful sensation that came with thinking what others would think of her body; it had taken her a lot of time getting used to the unconditional love and adoration and desire that Apollo bore when he had a glimpse of her naked body. He had been mesmerized and in love with every single part of her, and it had been an usual thing, something Percy never thought possible, because while she probably looked good with clothes on, she felt as though her scarred, naked body could never turn anyone on.

Perhaps it was one of the many values that Sally had implanted on her as she grew up. Sally had been quite clear about the subject, and had explained how intimate the act was supposed to be, she'd said that such an act wasn't meant to be done out of an impulse nor out of lust. It had to start as an act of _love_.

Sleeping around wasn't remotely related to love.

Percy didn't want that, she didn't feel comfortable with the thought of being completely naked in front of someone that only wanted her body.

It was the main reason as for why Percy felt so disgusted with her nightmare, apart from the fact that she never wanted Kronos or Gaea to touch her, she didn't like the feeling that came with thinking that they had tried to force her into an act she considered intimate and important.

It made her sick.

It also made her refuse to close her eyes again.

If she did, she was sure she'd end up seeing and feeling their touch again.

Sighing deeply, Percy raised from the bed, her legs trembling, her skin feeling as though it were about to caught fire.

She moved towards her drawers, where she collected a new change of clothes; then she moved towards her closet, where she had hidden the backpack that contained her other weapons- a small dagger, in case something happened to Riptide- a map of New York, several changes of clothes, and medical supplies. Relief flooded through her when she had a glimpse of a Ziploc bag full of square sized Ambrosia bites.

She took one on her right hand, observing the small square sized food of the gods, wondering if it would taste the same as it had always tasted. It felt like a small relief, the thought of having something be the same as it used to be before everything went downhill. She placed it upon her mouth and chewed slowly. _Chocolate-chip cookies_.

Instantly, everything changed for the better.

Her once-exhausted limbs regained full strength, her exhaustment being replaced by a deep sense of awareness.

Feeling greatly improved, Percy placed the Ziploc bag back into her backpack, which she secured carefully back into the closet after making sure it remained hidden from view.

She didn't dare eat more than just one small square of Ambrosia, for her wounds had been almost nonexistent, her biggest issue being her exhaustion after using her powers a lot in a day. She felt renovated, all of her exhaustion disappearing instantly, so she thought it better not to eat more.

She didn't want to have an overdose and spend the remaining of the day feverish and sick.

After making sure everything was where it was supposed to be, Percy took the change of clothes she'd selected previously, and made her way towards the bathroom, planning on taking a long, relaxing bath that would wash away the sickening feel of Kronos and Gaea's touch on her body.

She was just getting into the tub when a knock on the door startled her.

"Percy?" It was Paul.

The demigoddess swallowed a groan- it was normal since the house had only _one_ bathroom. But she had planned to stay in the water for a _long_ time, something she couldn't do if her stepfather needed to use the bathroom, too.

"Yes?" She called back. "Do you need to use the toilet?"

"No," His answer made her sigh in relief, which amused him for a moment, before he remembered the reason he'd knocked on the door. "Your friend called to ask if he could visit. We said yes, so he's on his way. He'll probably be here in a couple of hours, two or three."

"Okay," Percy shrugged, pushing everything aside and simply closing her eyes, leaning down into the tub and relaxing. "Thank you for letting me know, I'll get ready soon."

She thought he meant Damon- not realizing that her step-father had mentioned something about the visit being delayed by two or three hours, which meant that the friend that would visit her would not be from town. Truthfully, she was so used to no visits from her world that every time her parents mentioned a friend, she thought only about Damon and Emma.

However, Damon was busy protecting Elena, who'd been kidnapped the night before after she left the Salvatore's Boarding House. Naturally, the blue-eyed vampire felt responsible for the situation, for he had been the one to tell her to go home so late at night. He had been too concentrated on the frightening sight he saw- Percy causing the earthquake- to make sure if Elena had gotten home safely.

Truthfully, there were many things that could've let the demigoddess know that her visitor wasn't going to be Damon Salvatore, but she missed all those signals.

She would've thought the visitor to be Emma Darcy too, had she not heard the pronouns her stepfather used. Her mortal friend had the tendency of making sure she was welcomed somewhere before actually getting to said place, which was a nice thing.

Thinking about Emma made Percy realize she hadn't seen her in almost two days, and, distractedly, Percy wondered if, perhaps, she could call her, then remembered she'd already used the phone that day, and that testing her luck twice wouldn't be wise.

She never had much luck to begin with.

After finishing his message, Paul turned away and walked towards the music room, which he entered in hopes of being alone for a few moments, needing to think about many things.

There were about a _million_ things that plagued his mind; it had been an extremely stressful day.

He was glad for the visit that they would receive, for, perhaps, their visitor would be of great aid for them.

After all, Percy's first best friend had always been Grover Underwood.

 _Who better than him to be there when Sally and Paul tried to convince Percy to go back to Camp Half-Blood?_


End file.
